Elephants appear on the forest cover, reaching residential areas
Recently, during the peak of the dry season in 2025, wild elephants often appear on the forest edge and visit residential areas in Thanh Son commune (Dinh Quan district), Ma Da, Phu Ly (Vinh Cuu district) to find food, bloom, and promote people's property.
Most recently, on May 4, a herd of wild elephants of 7 large and small animals suddenly appeared on the dirt road leading to Suoi Tuong residential area (in Hamlet 4, Ma Da commune, Vinh Cuu district) to find food. Also on May 4, people discovered another herd of wild elephants of about 6 large and small at lot 17, compartment 5, Sub-zone 160 (in Hamlet 3, Ma Da commune), in which a baby elephant fell into the well and died.
Since 2009, the number of elephant complexes at that time was about 14 individuals, currently the number of wild elephants is about 25 - 27 large and small (ranking 2nd in the country) and is tending to increase in number.
To preserve, protect and develop wild elephant complexes, Dong Nai has built about 75km of electric fence to surround the area where the elephant complex is living, promoting a clear effect in limiting conflicts between elephants and humans.
People who see elephants also use measures to chase them away without scaring them, warning signs are also placed at places where wild elephants often appear to warn.
However, with the smart nature, from 2024 to early 2025, the authorities have recorded more than 100 times of forest elephants trampling columns and knocking trees on the power fence to enter residential areas.
Forests are well protected, elephant flocks are increasingly expanding their habitats
Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hao - Director of Dong Nai Cultural Nature Reserve - said that in recent times, due to good forest protection, the herd of wild elephants has increasingly developed and expanded their habitats (the land where elephants used to live), the frequency of appearance has increased. The elephant flock currently has about 25 - 27 elephants, living in Dong Nai (Cat Tien National Park and Cultural Nature Reserve), while the elephant flock in Nghe An and Dak Lak moves back and forth between Laos and Cambodia.
Informing Lao Dong newspaper reporters, Mr. Ngo Van Vinh - Head of the Forest Protection Department of Dong Nai province - said that to preserve, protect and develop wild elephant populations, the province has coordinated to implement many solutions such as: Photo exhibition "Fate with elephants and beautiful nature", elephant conservation week, harmonious coexistence between people and elephants...; Finding financial resources to support the maintenance and repair of electric fences, support damage and develop livelihoods for people.
At the same time, piloting a model forest model based on a new approach "Landscape - Elephant - Community and Forest" with the support of international experts.
Dong Nai province also continues to coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to implement the project "Promoting harmonious coexistence between elephants and humans in Vietnam with scientific solutions and comprehensive cooperation" sponsored by HSI.
