Indonesia: 30 elephants occupy Aceh villages

The Jakarta Post 30 Oct 15;

Thirty elephants have reportedly occupied hamlets in Pintu Rime Gayo district, Central Aceh regency, Aceh province, forcing 45 families, or 145 people, to abandon their homes.

“All the residents have been evacuated and given shelter in the district hall,” district chief Mukhtar said on Thursday.

Mukhtar said the elephants had been sighted in the vicinity over the past three weeks and entered the hamlets on Tuesday.

The elephants also destroyed farmland belonging to the villagers, he added.

He said his office used several vehicles to take the residents from the hamlets, located 20 kilometers, to the district hall.

Conflict between elephants and villagers is common in the area.