Farmers in Mersing in distress over elephant menace
25 Jun 2023 12:38pm
picture for illustrative purposes - FILE PIX
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One of the farmers, Abd Zaini Abd Aziz, 55, claimed that he has been dealing with the issue for the past 19 years, and lately the number of animals was seen to be increasing at his estate which covers an area of over three acres.
"Last week, more than 20 elephants attacked the oil palm trees compared to previously when there were only two or three of them. They are getting bolder as they even appear during the day and have begun to enter the surrounding housing area.
"Usually, when a new farm is opened, elephants will wander into the village area to look for food and the palm trees that are growing would be their favorite source of food," he said when met by reporters recently.
He said after failing to earn as much as he had expected, he was forced to look for an alternative source of income by working as a craftsman to support his family.
He said together with the villagers he had tried to chase the elephants away by patrolling the area or setting fire crackers and bonfires, but at times the efforts were in vain.
Abd Zaini hopes that the relevant authorities would be able to take the appropriate action because the farmers were not just suffering losses but also facing safety risks as the wild elephants are aggressive and not afraid of humans.
Another farmer, Aminah Dollah, 56, who lives in an area surrounded by oil palm trees, said she has been having close encounters with the elephants more often these days regardless of the time, adding that about 30 of her palm trees were destroyed recently.
"The height of these elephants are taller than the house roof. We suspect they come from the nearby forest which has been cleared causing the wild animals to hunt for food elsewhere including at Kampung Pengkalan Batu and Kampung Baru Jemari, " she said.
On April 18, Johor Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman K. Raven Kumar said the state government was planning a sustainable and comprehensive solution with the cooperation of the federal government to deal with the elephant-human conflict issue.
The Tenggaroh assemblyman said an Elephant Conservation Action Plan Committee would be established, to coordinate and implement actions for mitigation of human-wildlife conflict at the district and state levels - BERNAMA
