Villagers Killed by Elephants in Pegu Division

Villagers Killed by Elephants in Pegu Division Shah Paung, Irrawaddy News March 07, 2007 Villagers living near the Pegu Mountains in central Burma have complained that an increasing number of elephants moving through their village has left several people dead, rice and bean crops destroyed, and villagers with no recourse to justice. Local residents say that earlier this week, a group of elephants came into Thayetgone village in Pegu Division and trampled a farmer. It’s not the first time the elephants have caused trouble in the area. “These elephants have eaten or destroyed paddy and killed our villagers,” one local resident told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. “People have to be very cautious because of them, especially when they are traveling in the village at night.” The deaths and destruction are thought to be primarily the work of elephants from a nearby government forest reserve in the Pegu Mountains, and could have arrived at the village by following the course of the Pegu River, which originates near the reserve. To read the full story click on the link in the blog title