'Monkey fighters' armed with air guns recruited by town to fight off invading animals

Volunteers provided with pellet-loaded pistols - and matching hats - to strike back against thieving primates

EPA36/5015 July 2019A motorist drives past a destroyed house after a large earthquake that hit Surigao City, in the southern island of Mindanao, Philippines.AFP/Getty Images37/5014 July 2019French Gendarmes remove fences next to a burning portable toilet during clashes with protesters on the Champs Elysees avenue after the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France.

Reuters38/5013 July 2019A recortador jumps over a bull during a contest in a bullring at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain.Reuters39/5012 July 2019Japan's Megumu Yoshida and Yukiko Inui compete in the duet technical artistic swimming event during the 2019 World Championships at Yeomju Gymnasium in Gwangju.

AFP/Getty40/5011 July 2019Hot air balloons fly over the city of Igualada during an early flight as part of the European Balloon Festival in Igualada, Spain. The European Balloon Festival has become the most important hot air balloon event in Spain and one of the biggest in Europe.

Getty41/5010 July 2019USA's players take part in their champions parade through New York after winning the Women's World Cup at the weekend in France.Reuters42/509 July 2019The pack rides during the fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race in Nancy, France.

AP43/508 July 2019Temple Priest Siva Sri Arumugam Paskarakurukkal and Hindu devotees celebrate the Makorcavam temple festival at Germany's largest Hindu temple in Hamm, Germany.EPA44/507 July 2019Megan Rapinoe lifts the Women's World Cup following USA's victory over The Netherlands at Stade de Lyon in the final held in France.

Getty45/506 July 2019Manneken Pis is dressed in the overall leader's yellow jersey, before the start of the Tour de France Stage 1.Reuters46/505 July 2019Sudanese protesters celebrate in the streets of Khartoum after ruling generals and protest leaders announced they have reached an agreement on the disputed issue of a new governing body.

AFP/Getty Images47/504 July 2019Demonstrators burn a national flag in front of the White House during a Fourth of July protest.Reuters48/503 July 2019Smoke billows and flames propagate across the hillside near houses after the Stromboli volcano erupted in the north of Sicily. It killed a hiker and sent tourists fleeing into the sea.

AFP/Getty49/502 July 2019An orangutan looks out of its cage in the controversial Pata Zoo in Thailand. Located at the top of a department store, the zoo has been controversial for keeping animals in tiny, concrete cages.EPA50/501 July 2019A protester breaks in to the Legislative Council building in Hong Kong during a protest on the 22nd anniversary of the territory's handover to China from Britain.

Reuters1/5019 August 2019Protesters take to the street to face off with Indonesian police in Manokwari, Papua. The riots broke out, with a local parliament building being torched, as thousands protested allegations that police tear-gassed and arrested students who supported the restive region's independence.

AFP/Getty2/5018 August 2019People survey the destruction after an overnight suicide bomb explosion that targeted a wedding reception in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least 63 people, mostly wedding guests from the Shi'ite Muslim community, were killed and more than 180 injured when a suicide bomber attacked a wedding hall.

EPA3/5017 August 2019A man retrieves his prize after climbing up a greased pole during a competition held as part of Independence Day celebrations at Ancol Beach in Jakarta. Indonesia is celebrating its 74th anniversary of independence from the Dutch colonial rule.

AP4/5016 August 2019Swiss pianist and composer Alain Roche plays piano suspended in the air at dawn during the 20th"Jeux du Castrum", a multidisciplinary festival in Switzerland.AFP/Getty5/5015 August 2019Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako bow during a memorial service ceremony marking the 74th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two, in Tokyo, Japan.

Reuters6/5014 August 2019A woman walks with a Kashmir's flag to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir, during a ceremony to celebrate Pakistan's 72nd Independence Day at the Mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi, Pakistan.Reuters

7/5013 August 2019The extraordinary moment a volcano erupted, shooting luminous hot lava from the surface, as a lightning bolt striked the centre of the mountain. Photographer Martin Reitze, 55, captured rare images of volcanic ash escaping from the Ebeko volcano in Russia whilst the lightning froze the ash cloud in time. Martin, from Munich, was standing around a kilometre away from the northern crater of the volcano when it erupted. The volcano expert said:"The strong lightning which shows in the image is a very rare exception, as it was much stronger than usual."

Martin Reitze/SWNS8/5012 August 2019People swim in a public bath pool in Zalakaros, Hungary. Some regions of the country have been issued the highest grade of warning by the National Meteorological Service as the temperatures may reach 33-38 centigrade.

EPA9/5011 August 2019A pro-democracy protester is held by police outside Tsim Sha Tsui Police station during a demonstration against the controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong.AFP/Getty10/5010 August 2019Muslim pilgrims make their way down on a rocky hill known as Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

AP11/509 August 2019Waves hit a sea wall in front of buildings in Taizhou, China's eastern Zhejiang province. China issued a red alert for incoming Super Typhoon Lekima which is expected to batter eastern Zhejiang province early on August 10 with high winds and torrential rainfall.

AFP/Getty12/508 August 2019A herder struggles with his flock across a motorway at the city cattle market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year, it marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to visit Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor and needy.

EPA13/507 August 2019Kazakh servicemen perform during a ceremony opening the International Army Games at the 40th military base Otar in Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan.Reuters14/506 August 2019Paleontologist Naturalis Anne Schulp takes part in the construction of the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex called Trix in Naturalis in Leiden, The Netherlands. After a month-long tour of Europe, Trix is home in time for the opening of the new museum.

AFP/Getty15/505 August 2019Flowers paying tribute to the eight-year-old boy who died after he was pushed under a train at Frankfurt am Main's station. The horrific crime happened last week and has led politicians to call for heightened security.AFP/Getty

16/504 August 2019Mourners take part in a vigil near the border fence between Mexico and the US after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso killed 20 people. The suspected gunman behind shooting is believed to be a 21-year-old white man called Patrick Crusius.

Reuters17/503 August 2019Pramac Racing's rider Jack Miller in action during a practice session at the Motorcycling Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. The race will take place on 4 August.EPA18/502 August 2019An extremely rare Pink Meanie jellyfish on display at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. The Pink Meanie was discovered during a nightlight jellyfish dive by the collections team in the waters around Robben Island and in Cape Town Harbour. Pink Meanies are jellyvorous, meaning they feed on other jelly species by reeling them in with their long tentacles. Discovering the Pink Meanie in its early ephyra stage meant the team could study its growth rate which turned out to be very quick as it grew to the metaephyra stage in about a week and a half. The Mexican pink meanie (Drymonema larsoni) was only discovered in the year 2000. A Mediterranean relative, known as the Big Pink Jellyfish (Drymonema dalmatinum) has been known to science since the 1800s but when spotted in 2014 it had been almost 70 years since the last sighting. These jellies are incredibly rare and this new South African species is no exception.

EPA19/501 August 2019Palestinian men breathe fire on the beach as entertainment for children during the summer vacation in Gaza City.AFP/Getty20/5031 July 2019A woman rows a boat through the lotus plants on the waters of Dal Lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. The lake is a popular tourist destination because of its floating gardens and lotus flowers.

EPA21/5030 July 2019An effigy of demon Ghantakarna is burnt to symbolize the destruction of evil and belief to drive evil spirits and ghost, during the Ghantakarna festival at the ancient city of Bhaktapur, Nepal.Reuters22/5029 July 2019Hundreds of hot air balloons take part in the Great Line at the Mondial Air Ballons festival, in an attempt to break the 2017 record of 456 balloons aligning in an hour during the biggest meeting in the world, in Chambley, France.

Freshers on their 'last night of freedom' Freshers week is a rite of passage for students across the country - but coronavirus restrictions are on the horizon.

Anyone else think it was an army of monkeys? You really should learn how to write Short Step to Monkey Tennis Who has guns? I actually thought the monkeys were the ones being armed Headline extremely misleading. I was severely disappointed to learn that it wasn’t monkeys being trained to use air rifles. Is this how it begins?

oh YYEEEEESSSS!! A take off on ICE. Wait. What?!

Marcel the monkey from Friends is making a TV comebackStop what you're doing and take a deep breath because we have some good news: Marcel the monkey from Friends is alive and well and on the verge of returning to our television screens. The monkey, Let me guess, as another Democrat presidential candidate. Probably be the most qualified so far. I think he is not that horny anymore or at least I hope! Humanity is saved!!🙄

Inside the cockpit of RAF’s new 'phenomenal' £100million stealth fightersEXCLUSIVE: New ITV documentary, Fighter Pilot: The Real Top Gun, details the RAF’s new £100million F-35B Lightning stealth fighters, which are used by 617 Squadron – the Dam Busters For that value, the pilots need to start wearing tuxedos Woo hoo let's bomb some brown people No the f22 is better but then the r a f always wastes money on shit

Jihadi Jack: Canada accuses UK of 'off-loading its responsibilities' by stripping Isil fighter of citizenshipCanada said on Sunday it was disappointed the United Kingdom had decided to "off-load their responsibilities" after its close ally revoked the citizenship of an Isil fighter known as Jihadi Jack. Aww shame probably not as disappointed as those who were beheaded though eh? And? What a shame, speak to his parents Canada, tell them they should have raised their kid better. Not our problem anymore

Police force will arm every officer with a Taser to fight 'sickening' crimewaveNorthamptonshire Police will hand out more than 1,000 Tasers to its officers, according to Chief Constable Nick Adderley Sickening crime wave? That's what happens when you disarm law abiding citizens. About time x MirrorPolitics I lay in bed thinking they'll need to arm the police as the next step along the road to authoritarianism and wake up to this.....

'Rigging the game': Stacey Abrams kicks off campaign to fight voter suppressionAbrams, a potential Democratic nominee for vice-president, says African American voter suppression has ‘gone underground’ 'Voter suppression'... means... fighting to allow illegals to vote in our elections, means to not investigate those that vote more than once.. means don't investigate voter fraud. We are on to the 'Democrat way'. Instead of running for Senate & flipping it & changing the laws & voting for judges who protect voters - she takes outside shot at VP & if not chosen will head organization fighting laws she could have helped change & facing down right-wing judges she could have helped block? Where did she get her start up money? She just will not say.

Radio stations for the blind could go off air over NDIS funding shortfallVision Australia Radio faces a $700,000 gap after disability funding was transferred to the NDIS