Elephants and villagers battle in jungles of Bangladesh

UKHIA, Bangladesh, Sep 4 (Reuters) Deep in the forests of southeastern Bangladesh, a battle rages between herds of endangered elephants and villagers whose livelihoods depend on felling trees that provide the elephants' habitat.

Every year, about 30 people and five elephants die in this struggle in the hills where humans are encroaching on the forests to rebuild their lowland villages washed away by seasonal floods.

''Sometimes we win. Sometimes the elephants win. This is an ongoing battle,'' said Abdus Shukur, a 45-year-old father of three.

The migration of humans displaced by natural disasters has added to the damaging pace of deforestation in southeastern Bangladesh, near the border with India and Myanmar. Elephants are being squeezed into an increasingly small part of the forest, greatly raising the risk of confrontation.

The new residents chop down trees to rebuild their villages and log the forests to earn money. They also clear forest areas for their homes and to create adjacent farmland for cultivation.

The encroachment has led to sometimes nightly battles between villagers and elephants that come in search of food.

Last May, elephants stormed the village of Kalirchhara, killing three people, including a child, and injuring 10 others.

''I woke up at night hearing a sudden noise, opened the door and saw a few elephants ramming my hut,'' Shukur said. ''Within minutes, the shanty collapsed and we ran for our lives.'' A series of severe floods in recent years have left thousands of people homeless and many flood survivors have moved to high ground in the Ukhia province, 430 km from the capital Dhaka.

Elephants are an endangered species in Bangladesh and killing them is a punishable offence.

MORE REUTERS KR VP0835