Residents of this village in northeast India have been forced to build makeshift homes in the treetops to protect themselves from getting killed by wild elephants.

The video was shot on November 19 in Bhutian, in Udalguri district, Assam, which has resorted to this drastic response for the past week .

Visuals showed an elderly couple climbing up and down the tree while displaying their daily activities.

According to locals, elephants from the forest stray away from their habitat during the reaping season and wander into human residential areas to feast on grains.

Another visual showed part of a house that had been torn apart by a passing herd of elephants.

Locals said they climb the tree and rest in their makeshift shelters at night to protect themselves, while sentries have to be posted to keep watch.

The volunteer sentries make use of horns, torches and sticks to scare away the elephants.

The forest department has been notified of this village's plight.