[Kabar-indonesia] Simian invasions the latest headache at Indonesia's Mount Merapi

[Joyo at aol.com]

Simian invasions the latest headache at Indonesia's
Mount Merapi

JAKARTA, July 3 (AFP) -- Hundreds of famished monkeys
are adding to the woes of residents on the slopes of
Indonesia's rumbling Mount Merapi, a report said
Monday.

The volcano, straddling Central Java and Yogyakarta
provinces on Java island, has been spewing smoke, lava
and clouds of gas since May, leaving two people dead,
burning forests and forcing thousands to flee to safe
shelters.

Now hundreds of monkeys left hungry after escaping
their own burned homes are raiding local crops and
homes for scarce food, the Koran Tempo said.

"In these past few weeks, the monkeys have begun to
enter villages.

These animals eat up local crops grown by villagers,"
a resident from Telogo Putri, a tourist resort on the
south slope of Merapi, was quoted as saying.

The monkeys usually roam the forests north of Telogo
Putri for food and sometimes get treats from tourists,
but their woods have been scorched by lava and
tourists are still banned from the area for safety
reasons.

Residents have set up patrolling teams armed with long
poles to prevent the monkeys from entering houses and
shops in the area, the daily said.

The Animal Rescue Center in nearby Yogyakarta city has
also begun a program to feed the simians once a week
with a supply of bananas, corn, papaya and melons.

"We hope that with this, the monkeys will not disturb
residents anymore," Sugiharto, the director of the
center, told the daily.

Activity at Merapi has been decreasing and officials
are reviewing the volcano's top alert status, a
scientist said at the weekend.

Merapi has been on top alert for most of the time
since May 13, meaning an imminent eruption has been
feared.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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