Fires on the slopes of Mount Merbabu in Indonesia's Central Java have forced into the open four rare Javanese tigers after their high-altitude habitat was affected, the official Antara news agency reports. The report said the tigers and a number of monkeys were seen by a forestry patrol recently on the mountains near the town of Selo. Lieut Col I.G.M. Nurdjana, head of the Boyolali police district, said a number of animals had been forced to move by fires sparked by the severe dry season.
"What is clear is that these animals are not disturbing the local people and we ask people if they come across a protected species to report it," he was quoted as saying.