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LequteMan
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Fifty seven snow monkeys in a northern Japan zoo have been put down by lethal injection after it was discovered that they carried the genes of an "invasive alien species".
According to the Takagoyama Nature Zoo in Chiba, DNA testing showed the monkeys had been crossbred with the non-indigenous rhesus macaque which is banned under Japanese law.
A local official said they had to be killed to protect the native environment.
The zoo's operator held a memorial service for the snow monkeys' souls at a nearby Buddhist temple.
The Japanese macaques, commonly known as snow monkeys, are one of the Asian country's major tourist attractions.
According to the Takagoyama Nature Zoo in Chiba, DNA testing showed the monkeys had been crossbred with the non-indigenous rhesus macaque which is banned under Japanese law.
A local official said they had to be killed to protect the native environment.
The zoo's operator held a memorial service for the snow monkeys' souls at a nearby Buddhist temple.
The Japanese macaques, commonly known as snow monkeys, are one of the Asian country's major tourist attractions.
