Hundreds of households in Huong Dien and Huong Quang communes in the central province of Ha Tinh have raised their concerns over wild elephants who have left nearby Vu Quang National Park to forage for food.

According to local authorities, the communes stand on the boundary of the park and wild elephants have sometimes been known to enter into residential areas looking for food such as corn, bananas and sugarcane.

Dao Duy Phien, the Vu Quang National Park’s director, said the herd of elephants were found living in the park 30 years ago, but they’ve recently become dangerous due to the shortage of male elephants, especially during breeding season between January and April.

Phien said most of local residents used methods such as lighting fires or creating noise to drive the elephants away.

According to animal experts, the elephants are not dangerous, but they could attack people if they want to enlarge territory, as their living environment has been seriously encroached upon by human activity./.