VietNamNet Bridge – Authorities in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong have asked competent agencies to chase away a herd of three wild elephants that are destroying houses and crops in a commune in Cu Jut District.

In the past week, a female and her calf appeared and damaged two houses, seven small thatched shelters erected in fields, and dozens of hectares of crops.

In the past week, a female and her calf appeared and damaged two houses, seven small thatched shelters erected in fields, and dozens of hectares of crops.

Local authorities and residents tried several methods to scare them away but to no avail.

The herd, which also has a male, used to live in Yok Don National Park in the neighbouring province of Dak Lak, and moved to the district about three months ago, local authorities said.

They used to occasionally turn up at houses and fields in Dak Rong Commune to forage for food, but the female and the calf have appeared every night during the past week.

Discussions

On Monday, a group of officials from the Forest Administration's Forest Protection Department and the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Centre discussed ways to chase away the animals.

Truong Thanh Tung, deputy chairman of the Cu Jut District People's Committee, petitioned the department to instruct competent agencies to use domesticated elephants to chase the beasts back to Yok Don.

Huynh Trung Luan, director of the centre, said local authorities should continue to use traditional methods like making loud noises to scare them away.

Source: VNS