CHUKAI: A farmer rued his bad luck after a herd of wild elephants trampled and destroyed banana and coconut trees in Kampung Air Putih Kemaman, yesterday.
Mohd Sebeli Mohd Kasim, 64, said he was at a loss as to how to restart his plantation.
"I don't know what else to plant right now," he said.
Two of his friends, who also had banana and coconut trees, shared the same fate, incurring around RM30,000 in losses.
Mohd Sebeli estimated that more than 10 elephants ran rampant through the farms, destroying about 500 banana trees.
"I was shocked when I came to clean the farm and harvest the plants around 7.30am yesterday. We believe the elephants entered the farm at about 3am to forage for food.
"This is sad because our plants have only just begun to harvest," he said.
He said this was the second time the farm had been destroyed by wild animals.
"Some 37 banana trees were destroyed by bears last year. This time around, it's elephants."
Fellow farm owner Zulkifli Mohd Sabri, 46, hoped the government would take immediate action to curb the problem as he was running out of money to restart the plantation.
He said he had lodged a report with the Wildlife and National Parks Department.
"Currently, we can only keep tabs and monitor the area at night to ensure there are no invasions from animals.
"We are aware of the risk of being attacked," he added.