Kaohsiung City police solve mystery gun woman case: just taking care of business

Kaohsiung City police launched an investigation after pictures began circulating on social media this morning of a woman holding a gun and making shooting motions. The investigation found that the gun was a legal BB gun, and the woman was shooting at monkeys.

The picture of a middle-aged woman wearing an apron while aiming a pistol appeared on the Facebook group “Road Observation Academy,” causing a discussion among readers. Some speculated that the woman may be a gangster, or perhaps had caught her husband having an affair. One reader suggested that it may be the woman’s method of bargaining prices.

The incident, which was identified as occurring in Gushan District, Kaohsiung City, was reported to police. Police officers from Gushan police station were dispatched to investigate. The officers identified the woman as being the owner of a breakfast shop near the Shoushan (Ape Hill) trailhead.

The woman explained that monkeys frequently grab food from her store, and that she had just been chasing a monkey away by shooting at it with a BB gun when the picture was taken.

The Kaohsiung City Agricultural Bureau said that Formosan macaques are no longer classed as protected animals under the conservation law, and it is not considered illegal to use a BB gun to deter them if there is a threat to public safety.

“Shoushan” means “ape mountain,” and was originally named Ape Hill by Dutch explorers in the 17th century due to the large numbers of Formosan macaques. Human-monkey conflicts frequently occur in districts around the mountain.

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