Klaten, Ekuatorial – Thousands of apes were seen storming out from Mount Merapi, in Central Java, allegedly caused by long dry season, said a local villager on Wednesday (15/10).
“These apes are considered very unique because they rarely leaving the mountain, unless it’s a critical situation,” said Djemakir, head of Sidorejo village, Klaten, Central Java.
He suspected that these apes running out from the mountain because it was getting difficult to find food due to drought. The trees and water have dried up forcing them down to nearest villages. He added that they usually came down to the villages because of volcanic eruptions. “This is different, there’s no eruption. It only means that there’s no food in Mount Merapi so they’re coming to villages to find food,” he said.
Bambang Haryoko, Kemalang district head said that he had received reports of hundreds of long-tail apes roaming through several villages. “As there’s no food, trees are drying leaving them with no shelter from recent heat weather,” said Haryoko in a separate occasion.
They have tried to chase them out from the village using nets around paddy fields, he said, but it could not stop the many apes coming to their areas.
“Our nets could not hold them as they are coming in thousands. They have ravaged around 102 hectares or areas and causing hundreds of millions rupiah loss,” he said. Bramantyo
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