OITA EMPLOYS DRONE TO SEE OFF MONKEYS

>> OITA: The Oita city government in southwestern Japan is working to scare off farm-raiding wild monkeys using a drone decorated to look like a hawk — their natural enemy.

The Tanoura district on the east side of Mt Takasaki, where a popular monkey park is located, is known as a producer of loquats, figs and mandarins but has been suffering damage to the products caused by rogue monkeys for years, according to the city government.

“The Tanoura district is the largest producer of loquats in the prefecture. While tourism is also important, we would like to reduce the damage” to the agricultural products, said Tomohiro Anan, an official handling loquats at a local agricultural co-operative.

To compensate for losses on farm products, the city spent ¥5.9 million yen (1.8 million baht) in fiscal 2015 and ¥3.93 million in fiscal 2016.

The city has so far flown a drone four times since the end of May, the harvest time for loquats.

To intimidate monkeys, the city tried to simulate a hawk hunting monkeys by hanging a stuffed monkey from a drone decorated as a hawk with fake eyes and a beak. It also played a recorded sound of screaming monkeys through a speaker.

Last September, an invited hawker unleashed a real hawk in the area to scare off monkeys at the request of the city government. The attempt generated a certain effect but it was difficult to guide the hawk in the desired direction, prompting the city to start utilising a drone.

Though the effect of flying the drone remains unclear, reports of farm damage have been declining this fiscal year, according to the city.

The city will conduct about 20 experiments through March 2018 so that it can start a drone program in full swing in the next fiscal year, it said.