The story of Yakei, the first alpha female in a herd of macaques | In Japan

An alpha female has been spotted in a macaque reserve in Japan. His name is Yakei, he is nine years old and he took the scepter from Sanchu, the monkey who had led the herd for five years in the Takasakiyama reserve, in the city of Oita.

There are 677 monkeys in this colony of macaques. It’s not often to see female leadership among the apes. According to the guards, Yakei prevailed from April, when she beat her mother to immerse herself in the role of the alpha female within her family group..

At the end of June, Yakei challenged Sanchu, 31. The fight ended with the victory of the female, that happened to drive the monkeys. This is the first female leadership in the reserve’s 70-year history.

At the end of June, the guards certified the change: they left peanuts for the whole group and saw that Yakei was the first to eat. The monkey that eats first is the leader. In fact, we offered peanuts to Sanchu and he gave them to the monkey.. “Since then, Yakei has been climbing trees and shaking them, which is an expression of power and a very rare behavior among women,” he said. The Guardian, Satoshi Kimoto, guide in Takasakiyama. “He walked with his tail up, which is also very unusual for a woman,” he added.

Monkey reserve in Japan

The reserve was installed in 1952 and sheltered 1,500 macaques divided into two groups. The monkeys live in the forested mountain in the center of the reserve, roaming freely and going to the basements to obtain food provided by the guards.

The wild population of Japanese macaques is estimated at more than one hundred thousand and is distributed on three of Japan’s four main islands: Kyushu, Honshu and Shikoku. They are generally aggressive and tourists are advised not to even look them in the eye as they can take it as a challenge.