Yakei’s path to the top began in April when she beat up her own mother to become the alpha female of the troop at the Takasakiyama natural zoological garden in Oita city. While that would have been the pinnacle for most female monkeys, Yakei decided to throw her 10kg weight around among the males. In late June, she challenged and roughed up Sanchu, the 31-year-old alpha male who had been leader of “troop B” at the reserve for five years. Takasakiyama, established as a reserve for monkeys in 1952, is home to about 1,500 macaques, split between troop A and troop B. They are known to sometimes be aggressive, and hikers, mountain climbers and visitors to the Takasakiyama reserve are advised not to maintain eye contact with them as it is interpreted as a challenge.

Source: The Guardian August 03, 2021 05:15 UTC