(12/16/2011)
The tribes of monkeys that inhabit the jungles of Nenggan in the village of Abiantuwun, Kediri in the regency of Tabanan are hungry. As a result, valuable crops are being attacked and ravaged by tens of ravenous primates.
According to Beritabali.com, in their desperate search for food, the emboldened monkeys are now venturing into the homes of local villagers.
In an effort to protect their rice crops and fend off the monkeys, farmers are posting 12-hour watches over their fields. To frighten the animals off, the villagers are using slingshots and air rifles.
One of the local farmers, Gede Ketut Gegel, estimates the number of monkeys at 200. “Before there were only 35 female monkeys led by a single male. Now the population has reached 200,” he explained.
Gegel described the monkeys as hailing from three distinct “banjars” of “groups” – each led by its own “king.” Adding, “groups of monkeys have invaded the villages, including the communities of Nyambu and Panda.”
Similar reports have been made by Nyoman Getera, the religious official (pemangku) in charge of Pura Yoga located in the middle of the Nenggan jungle. He confirmed the monkeys are now a common sight in the villages. He blamed the invasion on a lack of food and the failure by local resudents to make offerings of food to the monkey inhabiting the Pura Yoga Temple he manages.
Getera said he hoped the regional government would pay more attention to the wild residents of the Nenggan jungle. He also reminded the government that the jungle with its population of wild primates has the potential of being developed into a new tourism object, capable of generating tax revenues for the local administration.
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