AP photos show an injured elephant frequenting an Indian village as its habitat shrinks

GUWAHATI, India (AP) — For months an injured male elephant has been frequenting a village on the outskirts of India's northeastern Assam state in search of food, bringing it into contact with people living in the area.

The elephant often breaks into shops and helps itself to food on the shelves, prompting locals to erect steel fences and concertina wires in front of their houses and roadside kiosks. Villagers have been providing the animal food and water, but its frequent visits — at least twice a day — halt traffic sometimes, forcing locals to shoo the elephant away.