Sunday, November 05, 2017

Villagers In Kedah Shook By Wild Elephants, How Can We Co-Exist With These Gentle Giants?

BALING: Over 900 villagers residing at Kampung Tanjung Pari, Mukim Siong endured a moment of anxiety yesterday (Oct 24), when a herd of elephants were found roaming in the village and subsequently destroying their crops.

The Tanjung Pari Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) Chairman Taib Man shared with Berita Harian that the villagers refrained from going to the farm as they fear of crossing paths with the wild elephants that are often wondering through the night.

He went on to elaborate that the gentle giants are gradually becoming more daring as they have been incidences where they roam to close to the villagers’ home and destroying their crops such as bananas, rubber trees, jackfruits, sugarcane and coconut.

“Most of the population earn their livelihood as farmers and their fear for wild elephants have cut them off from their source of sustenance,” the chairman lamented.

“We’ve informed the incident to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) in hopes that they will chase the elephants away aside from installing electric fence at elephant routes.”

Meanwhile a 53-year-old resident, Asri Yaacob, said that the elephants move in a huge herd to invade and destroy the villagers’ crops.

“Residents suffer losses, to a point some have forego farming out of fear for the worst,” he conveyed to the Malay daily.

The Kedah PERHILITAN Director Inche Ali @ Muhammad Ali Che Aman stated that his department will take immediate action in the event they receive a report as a means to ensure the public’s safety.

“The elephants will be chased away as a means to avoid any more property loses as well as to put an end to anything that threatens the villagers’ safety,” he said.

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