Wild elephants raid conservation center, pilfer food and destroy electric fences

The elephants approached the Dak Lak Center for Animal Rescue and Forest Management and Protection in Buon Don District, consumed bananas and watermelons that were prepared for three recently rescued domestic elephants, and destroyed electric fences, an employee of the conservation center said.

The elephants came at around 4 a.m., when it was still dark and surveillance cameras could not record what happened, he added.

Tran Xuan Phuoc, director of the center, said the four wild elephants then moved towards a forest area in Ea H’leo District. As the Central Highlands is in its dry season, wild elephants often seek food in fields. Authorities have warned people not to farm at night as a result.

According to the center, Dak Lak has around 137 elephants in total, including 80 wild ones living in the Yok Don National Park, which spans 170,000 ha, along with 37 domestic ones.

In 2018, the Animals Asia Foundation provided $65,000 to end elephant-riding tourism at the Yok Don National Park. Dak Lak authorities have also spent billions of dong to rescue six domestic elephants and bring them to conservation centers, before releasing them back into the wild.