Elephants drive villagers up trees

Off the ground: Villagers standing near a tree house on the outskirts of Yangon. Elephants are searching for food in places where people live. The village of ThikeGyi happens to be one of those places. — AFP

TAIK KYI (Myanmar): Pushed from their forest home by encroaching farm land, wild elephants are driving fearful villagers in a Myanmar township to seek refuge in tree houses while the animals storm their rice paddies looking for food.

The elephants have trampled crops, destroyed homes and even, villagers say, killed people in their path – forcing families in Kyat Chuang to build new shelters made of wood and bamboo on treetops.