Monkeys invade Indonesian village: report

Yahoo News 23 Nov 07;

Hundreds of monkeys have invaded houses and accosted villagers in Indonesia's East Java province after their habitat was cleared for commercial development, a report said Thursday.

Sudarsono, a resident of Mangliawan village, told news website Detikcom that hundreds of macaques began swarming into the village from the nearby Wendit recreational park three months ago in search of food.

"They entered my house by breaking the roof and stole food," he said, adding that the monkeys often turned violent and attacked people.

Another witness, identified as Prayitno, said between 25 and 30 macaques broke through his roof everyday to look for food.

The 10-hectare Wendit park, which is home to hundreds of macaques, has been partially cleared to make way for the construction of cottages and commercial buildings.

Local district official Bambang Istiawan told AFP that a regional administration started the construction project eight month ago.

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