On the morning of October 24, Mr. Lê Xuân Đình, Head of the Quỳ Châu Forest Protection Department in Nghệ An Province, reported that two elephants were recently discovered in a eucalyptus forest owned by residents of Đôm village, Châu Phong commune, Quỳ Châu district.
Previously, on October 23, these two elephants appeared in the Huôi Phúng area and broke through the barbed wire fence of Mr. Trương Văn Hoài’s eucalyptus garden (residing in Đôm 1 village, Châu Phong commune) to graze on grass.
Mr. Hoài and several locals attempted various methods to drive them away, such as lighting fires and banging drums, but the elephants refused to leave. By the morning of October 24, they continued to break the fence to move to the adjacent eucalyptus garden.
“After receiving the information, we coordinated with the locals to drive the two elephants back into the deep forest to prevent any potential incidents,” Mr. Đình stated.
According to the Head of the Quỳ Châu Forest Protection Department, these two elephants are a mother and calf living in the protected forest area of Quỳ Châu district for many years. Previously, this herd was quite large, but due to poaching, only this mother and calf remain. Approximately 30 years ago, the male elephant (the father) was shot dead by locals.
The mother elephant is elderly and has lost one eye, likely due to a previous gunshot wound. The calf has recently matured and is nearly the same size as the mother. However, this herd can no longer grow as there are no male elephants available.
Remaining elephants in Quỳ Châu district. (Screenshot from video).
It is known that currently, in Nghệ An Province, there are 16 wild elephants living in Pù Mát National Park, scattered across different districts. These elephants are strictly protected under regulations to maintain and develop wildlife.
Although there are still quite a few natural elephant herds, most of the elephants in Nghệ An are solitary and no longer able to reproduce. Many elephants have lived alone for decades, frequently entering residential areas and damaging crops.
Specifically, there are 8 elephants living in the forests of Phúc Sơn commune, Anh Sơn district; 4 in Tam Quang commune, Tương Dương district; and one in Lục Dạ commune, Con Cuông district. Additionally, there is one in Quỳ Hợp district and two in Quỳ Châu district.
