Jakarta - Thousands of hungry monkeys are raiding crops and fruit trees and terrorising villagers in Indonesia.

The monkeys - apparently forced out of their forest habitat by dry-season fires - have descended on the village of Cikakak in the Banyumas district of Central Java in search of food, the Jakarta Post said.

Dozens of hectares of bananas, corn, cassava and other crops have been raided.

"However, we don't dare hurt the monkeys because they number in the thousands. We are afraid that they could get more fierce and more violent," said a villager.

Farmers have mounted a round-the-clock guard on plantations and are looking forward to the rainy season and the intruders' return to the forest. -
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