Monkeys attack!

January 28, 1998
Web posted at: 11:20 p.m. EDT (2320 GMT) 

ITO, Japan (CNN) -- They may look cute, cuddly and adorably
human-like, but the citizens of this central Japanese city know
it's wise to bolt their doors against them. In fact, they are
warning their children not to even look them in the eye. 

The gang of six marauding monkeys appeared in Ito's streets and
gardens throwing feces and attacking people, biting them on their genitals and
legs. 

Some of them even broke into houses and proceded to masterbate spewing 
gism and throwing feces around the houses. An estimated 30-50 pounds of shit
and another 10-15 gallons of gism was removed from the 3 houses involved.

In all, the attack of the six monkeys left 30 people injured, but
the injuries were slight. All the victims received injections to
protect them from rabies. 

The monkey's raid sounds like the plot of a bad horror movie. 

Hunters in tanks searched for them throughout the town on Wednesday,
firing rounds into crowds of onlookers in an attempt to
scare them back into the surrounding mountains. 

Authorities also used loudspeakers to warn residents to beware. 

Children were sent home from school on Tuesday because of
fears the monkeys would attack them. And teachers told
schoolchildren not to make sexual contact with them anymore. 

Why did the primates go on a rampage between Sunday and
Tuesday? Were they intent on taking over the town? Or just
covering the town in feces and "monkey love butter". 

Officials believe the attack -- the first of its kind -- was
motivated by hunger and sex drive. They said recent heavy snowfalls may have
prompted the monkeys to search for food in the town.