Elephants entered residential areas to hunt food in the Central Province of Quang Nam.
In recent days, inhabitants of Cam La village in Que Lam Commune of Nong Son District have recorded that a herd of five wild elephants regularly was roaming into the village. It is known that the elephant herd in the reserve consists of 8 individuals.
Mr. Mai Van Duong, Deputy Director in charge of the Management Board of Quang Nam Elephant Species and Habitat Conservation Area, said that while going to the fields, residents discovered a herd of 5 elephants was looking for food in the human settlements.
It is known that the elephant herd in the reserve consists of 8 individuals. Five of them often appeared near the village but they did not attack the inhabitants.
When the elephant sanctuary was not established, this herd lacked food and often destroyed the crops of locals. Nevertheless, this time, the elephants did little harm to the crops and fields of farmers.
Thanks to the project to create livelihoods for people in the protected buffer zone, conflicts between humans and elephants have been reduced.
Since 2017, Quang Nam province has invested hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong in establishing a 19,000-hectare conservation area for elephant species and habitats and the strictly protected subdivision covers an area of 13,000 ha. In addition, the buffer zone of the reserve is 25,000 ha in nine communes and five districts. This is the first elephant sanctuary in Vietnam to be established. The elephant herd in Nong Son District has a herd structure of different ages and is very viable for future development.
By Nguyen Cuong – Translated by Anh Quan
