Dozens of monkeys have descended the slopes of Mount Merapi in Central Java to ransack fields for food in the district of Klaten, leaving farmers facing the prospect of a failed crop.
Hordes of monkeys rushed farms in the Kali Woro area of Klaten’s Balerante village and helped themselves to both ripe and unripe crops of corn, cassava and various vegetables and fruits.
Since the Merapi eruptions in 2010 that destroyed much of their natural habitat and with it their food supply, the long-tailed macaques have taken to invading smallholdings in large numbers in search of nutrition.
Sukono, the Balerante village chief, said many farmers had grown frustrated and were trying to find ways to deal with the problem without harming the animals.
One plan they came up with involved planting several fruit trees in the forest to provide food for the monkeys and reduce the raids on the farms.
“But we abandoned the plan because we were worried we would be violating the law, since the forest falls inside the Mount Merapi National Park zone, which is off-limits to cultivating and logging. So instead, we are left using sticks to chase the monkeys away,” Sukono said.
Another method that the village considered was installing nets over each plot to prevent the monkeys from getting at the crops. But the hilly ground of the village would make it too difficult and costly to apply, Sukono said.
Bambang Haryono, the head of Kemalang subdistrict, which includes Balerante, said the marauding monkeys had also targeted four other villages — Tangkil, Sidorejo, Tegalmulyo and Kemalang.
“Dozens of monkeys come and go, but we still have no solution. We have no idea how much money we are losing,” he said.
Novianto Bambang, the Forestry Ministry’s conservation director, told the Jakarta Globe that planting hardwood fruit trees in the national park was recommended as it would be a fair solution for both farmers and monkeys.
“Cultivating fruit plants in certain zones within the part is permitted, but not in restricted core and jungle zones. This will help to significantly curb the monkey raids as they will find food without having to leave the mount area,” he said.
