HULU TERENGGANU: A herd of five wild elephants have been destroying banana trees and betel nut palms in Kampung Basung near Tasik Kenyir since last week.
Led by their matriarch, the pachyderms have been encroaching into agricultural plots near the houses at night.
One of villagers, Ismail Mamat, said they were living in fear.
“The elephants have destroyed my banana trees about 10m from my house,” he said.
“This is the first time the animals have encroached into the village.
“It is not safe to go out at night and we dare not confront the elephants for fear of being attacked.”
He said the animals reached the village after crossing Sungai Telemong.
He said the herd had been foraging for food in the village and were targeting banana trees, young betel nut palms and bamboo shoots.
“I believe the fruit season is also one of the reasons why the animals encroached into orchards in the village.
“Durian, duku and dokong are in season now and we also encounter short-tailed macaques in large numbers.
“I am not sure if this is the same herd that destroyed palm trees along the Pengkalan Gawi road a few months back.
“They do not seem to fear humans and that’s why we are scared,” said Ismail who runs a restaurant near his house.
Ismail said the villagers had reported the matter to the Wildlife and National Parks Department.
State Wildlife and National Parks Department director Dr Abdul Malek Yusof confirmed the incident and said rangers were trying locate the elephants and drive them back into the jungle.
“We will be monitoring the area to prevent another conflict between the villagers and the elephants.
“The best move is to drive the elephants back into the jungle and find ways to prevent them from venturing into nearby villages,” he said.