Elephants run amuck in Aceh

BANDA ACEH: A herd of elephants raided a village in North Aceh, destroying houses and devouring plants.

The elephants attacked Lubuk Tilam village last week. There were no reported casualties, the Antara news agency reported.

Head of the Provincial Nature Conservation Agency R. Bintoro has sent a 15-person team to the area to check on the report and trace the origins of the elephants, which are protected by law although they have been a constant menace to the local people.

Bintoro said the agency hopes to round up the elephants and send them to a school where they will be domesticated.

Villagers said the elephants have come to the area several times in the past, each time they devoured the young oil palm plants. (prs)