VietNamNet Bridge - Residents in Ea Sup District's Ia RVe Commune in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak live in fear of being attacked by a herd of 20-22 elephants, as traditional methods to drive them away seem ineffective, officials say.

Le Thanh Hai, chairman of the commune's People's Committee, said the animals had destroyed nearly 40 hectares of crops worth VND1 billion (US$50,000) during the last two weeks.

Since March, the herd has appeared in the commune five times, but previously, they used to head for the commune in groups of just five to seven members and return to the forest after roaming around for a while at night, Hai said.

"We lit fires and beat saucepans and pots to drive them away, but now they show no fear and keep moving forward towards the noise," said Ngo Van Lom, a resident in the commune.

Nguyen Dinh Toan, deputy chairman of the district's People's Committee has asked relevant departments and agencies to take swift action to resettle the elephants elsewhere for the safety of local residents.

The district committee has earmarked VND80 million ($4,000) from the budget to assist affected farmers and proposed that the provincial administration provides funds to compensate losses suffered by farmers.

Source: VNA/Tuoi Tre