January 17, 2023 | 17:43 (GMT+7)
Quang Nam strives to conserve elephant species, habitat
Quang Nam’s elephant species and habitat conservation area has been making efforts to fulfill its mission of protecting a herd of eight wild elephants – considered one of the last populations of the endangered Asian elephant in the central province.
The herd, including five matriarchs and calves, has lived in the 20,000ha conservation since its establishment in 2017.
Mai Van Duong from the management board of the center said people used to go in and out of this area a lot, encroaching on the elephants’ habitat. Since the establishment of the reserve, restricted human impact has helped improve the habitat and the animals’ health.
To prevent conflicts that might affect the living environment of the herd, the management board has organized communications campaigns and technical training for residents and provided them with some equipment such as loudspeakers and solar lights. When the elephants appear, locals can use lights to make them return to the forest instead of going deeper into the residential areas surrounding the sanctuary. The board has also planted a 5m honey locus fence to keep the group in their safe location.
Source: VNA