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monkeys, too many monkeys

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

This morning I climbed the hill near my wife's parents' place. I do this every year end, though this will be the last for a while.

This year, as ever, I noticed that even more of the small plots of orchards and vegetable gardens have been abandoned. I put this down to the usual story of Japan's fading countryside, another victim of the country's demographics. But when I relayed what I'd seen to my father in law, he told me that it was due to monkeys.

There are simply too many monkeys in the hills for humans to conduct and agriculture. Whether it's plundered citrus trees or daikon stolen from their drying racks, the monkeys have made it impossible for human produce.

It's a shame, really, because there are some hard-won pieces of agricultural land on the hill sides and across the crown. Stone walls that give shape to terraces, carefully weeded and rock-free soil, and of course all of the supporting things like storage shacks, water drums, drive ways, and of course the clearings among the trees.

I wonder what the solution will be. Is monkeycide a word?