While much of the world, including nearby villages, celebrated the New Year season, residents of one village in Thailand have been spending their nights in their fields guarding their crops.
The farmers in the village of Lampiek, near Thap Lan National Park say their crops have been raided by hungry wild elephants who live in the park, threatening their livelihoods. Park rangers using a drone have confirmed that a herd of 80 to 100 elephants have gathered near the park boundary last week.
Over the weekend, elephants, believed to be the same group, raided the jackfruit orchards and cassava crops near the village, which also grows durian. Over 40 trees were destroyed.
A local official told reporters that as they stand guard, they can hear the sounds of other villages celebrating the arrival of the New Year.
