VietNamNet Bridge – Farmer Nguyen Van Hai in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak does not dare to stay alone overnight in his small thatched-leaf shelter to protect his 1-ha corn field.

Alone, he is no match for wild elephants that have begun to raid local fields.

"I now only stay overnight in the corn field when there are many people with me," said Hai, whose lives in Ea Sup District's Ia J'Loi Commune.

A herd of about 30 wild elephants have been repeatedly raiding fields in Ia J'Loi Commune over the last two weeks, destroying crops and threatening the safety of residents.

Local farmers have tried many measures to chase the elephants away, but the animals, suffering from a rapidly dwindling habitat, have so far destroyed 4 hectares of rice, corn and cassava that were ready for harvesting.

"My corn field was ready to harvest, but the elephants have destroyed it," Hai said.

"I lost about VND30 million (US$1,430) from the crop," he said.

Nguyen Van Long, chairman of the Ia J'Loi Commune People's Committee, said the herd of wild elephants seeking food came down to the commune from nearby forests at night.

It is the harvest season (and there is plenty of food), so it is difficult to chase the elephants away, he said.

A herd of 15-17 wild elephants have been raiding fields in the district's Ia R'Ve Commune over the last three weeks. The herd has destroyed 3.5ha of rice, corn and cassava crops grown by local farmers.

Since 2011, wild elephants have destroyed more than 185ha of crops in Ea Sup, Ea H'Leo and Buon Don districts and killed two people, according to the province's Elephant Conservation Centre.

Local residents say the pachyderms have become increasingly aggressive over the years and are encroaching deeper into residential areas in search of food.

The rapid decline in Dak Lak's forest area is the reason why the wild elephants are raiding fields, the centre said.

In recent years, a lot of forest area in the province have been used to grow rubber trees.

The centre has petitioned competent agencies to stop this misuse of forest land and encourage local farmers to grow crops that elephants do not like, like red chillis, cotton and ginger.

Dak Lak authorities have introduced several measures to protect both the animals and local residents, including banning farmers from staying overnight at their fields.

They have instructed communes where wild elephants appear often to set up groups of less than 10 people each to monitor wild elephants' movements.

The groups are to report information about the appearance of wild elephants to local authorities so that the latter can organise forces to chase the animals back to the forests.

The province supports each group with VND20 million ($950) a year to buy tools like flashlights and loudspeakers. Each group member is also given VND2 million a year.

Dak Lak, which has the largest number of wild elephants in the country, only has five herds left with a population of between 80-110, down by more than 440 elephants compared to 1980, according to the conservation centre.

Source: VNS