The Planet of the Apes is happening in real life. Villagers on the island of Java in Indonesia are being attacked by angry macaque monkeys. The animals have been stealing food as well as harassing young children and elderly people.
Most of this is due to the growing population of the species and destruction of their population. Newsweek reports that during the dry season, macaques become more aggressive. Since their habitat is slowly disappearing, so is their food. The macaques will come down from Mount Merapi in order to find something to eat according to Newsweek.
In order to help protect their people, monkey task forces have been set up. According to the Huffington Post, the town’s police chief Aries Andhi said that the “monkeys had started coming here two months ago.”
Andhi stated that they do not mind the monkeys being a part of the town, but they pose a problem when they start attacking. Most of these run-ins happen to “senior citizens who live in makeshift houses” noted Andhi. To make matters worse, most of the individuals who live in such homes do not have neighbors. So, if someone were to be attacked, they would struggle to receive help.
At this time, nearly 11 people in the town have been attacked and the town has ordered to shoot any monkey that has a conflict with a human. This approach is not widely accepted as an appropriate solution. Animal rights activists are trying to convince the town to stop using weapons and use other methods like wet chicken manure or red paint. Wet chicken manure is not liked by monkeys due to the smell. On the other hand, the red paint will alert the villagers of a monkey that has previously terrorized a human.
It is also recommended to use “slingshots, paintball, or firecrackers,” says Robithotul Hude of International Animal Rescue Indonesia to the Huffington Post. These methods will help protect both the townspeople as well as the monkey population.
Sarah is a Hufflepuff living in NYC. When she is not traveling or talking to random animals, she is working as a script writer. Tweet her at @lumpyspacederp