An uncompleted electric fence has been unable to prevent wild elephants from looking for food at farms and gardens in Dong Nai Province.

A wild elephant is seen at a farm in Dong Nai Province

Chairman of the southern province's Thanh Son Commune People's Committee, Ngo Van Son said on June 10 that a group of about ten wild elephants have recently reappeared and destroyed trees and plants at some villages in the areas.

"They often flock to local farms and living communities from late afternoon until early morning to look for foods," Son said. "Some 60 households have reported damage caused by the elephants to their crops and houses since the beginning of this year."

The official said that they have sent forest rangers to come and help local people to chase the elephants using fires, lights and loud sounds.

Conflicts between wild elephants and people in some areas in Dong Nai Province have been going on for over the past ten years when the animals are losing their living area.

Since mid-2017, a 50-km solar electric fencing system was installed to minimise conflicts.

"However, about 10 kilometres in Thanh Son District has no fence so the elephants keep reaching out for foods from here," Son said.

According to some experts, although the electric fence has proven effective in resolving conflicts between wild elephants and people in this southeastern province, it is not a long-term solution.

“When 50km of electric fence were erected, the elephants could not pass through. So local residents were protected,” said Le Viet Dung, deputy head of the Dong Nai Provincial Forest Protection Sub-department.

“Once we complete the installation of the remaining electric fence, a large area of some 16,000ha where 39,000 people live will be secured,” he said.

However, many scientists believe that electric fences could also have negative effects, altering the behaviour of the species. They said that sustainable solutions need to be developed for the long term, particularly those relating to the regeneration of the elephants’ habitat.

Dong Thanh Hai from Vietnam National University of Forestry said, "One of the most intimate causes of the conflicts between human beings and elephants is that they have lost their habitat or their habitat has been affected."

He suggested it was necessary to restore these habitats, creating the best one for elephants to move into, as elephants are a migratory species.

In addition, dissemination should be carried out to raise awareness in the community on how to live with the elephants, he said.

Prof. Dr Dang Huy Huynh, former director of the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, agreed, saying it was necessary to establish a harmonious relationship between humans and elephants in a bid to preserve the elephants. It is the local residents who will guard and live with the elephants in the area, he added.

The electric fence is part of the elephant conservation project, which began in 2014 and will end in 2020, with total capital of VND85 billion (USD3.75 million), sourced from state and local budgets.

It separates residential areas and farming areas from natural forests where wild elephants live, and it keeps people and crops safe from the intrusion of the elephants. It also offers security to wild elephants, which have encroached on these areas in their search for food.

Dtinews/VNA