Now hundreds of monkeys left hungry after escaping their own burned homes are raiding local crops and homes for scarce food, the Koran Tempo said.

"In these past few weeks, the monkeys have begun to enter villages. These animals eat up local crops grown by villagers," a resident from Telogo Putri, a tourist resort on the south slope of Merapi, was quoted as saying.

The monkeys usually roam the forests north of Telogo Putri for food and sometimes get treats from tourists, but their woods have been scorched by lava and tourists are still banned from the area for safety reasons.

Residents have set up patrolling teams armed with long poles to prevent the monkeys from entering houses and shops in the area, the daily said.

The Animal Rescue Center in nearby Yogyakarta city has also begun a program to feed the simians once a week with a supply of bananas, corn, papaya and melons.

"We hope that with this, the monkeys will not disturb residents anymore," Sugiharto, the director of the center, told the daily.

Activity at Merapi has been decreasing and officials are reviewing the volcano's top alert status, a scientist said at the weekend.

Merapi has been on top alert for most of the time since May 13, meaning an imminent eruption has been feared.

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