Troop of Japanese monkeys in Tasmanian park to be sterilised and die out amid inbreeding fears

Monkeys, which were given to Launceston by Japanese sister city Ikeda in 1981, will die out in about 25 years as a result of a council decision

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A troop of Japanese macaques that has called an Australian city park home for four decades will be prevented from reproducing because of worries about ongoing inbreeding.

The monkeys, which have been a unique attraction for Launceston in Tasmania since the 1980s, will die out over the next 25 to 30 years as a result of a council decision on Thursday to sterilise the males in the troop.

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