Roaming elephants destroy crops Tin Sokhavuth, Khmer Times November 29, 2021 A herd of wild elephants foraging for food and water following their normal migration route yesterday encountered crops planted by humans whose sprawl invaded their habitat leaving the farms trampled as they moved on through the forest in Mondulkiri province. The herd has at least four adult elephants and a calf. Environment Ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra told Khmer Times yesterday that elephants have a special memory to recollect almost everything, so when they see something new in their territory, they could destroy any changes. “It is not the first time that this kind of incident happened in Keo Seima district. Every year in the same season, a number of elephants always come to the same area to find food and water. If it is occupied by humans, the same incident happens,” he said. “To me, I call it ‘the quarrel between elephant and human’.” Pheaktra added that the ministry has told villagers living close to the wild elephant’s habitat to use traditional measures such as ringing bells to scare elephants back into the forest. According to villagers, the herd has been roaming around the area for four days trampling crops and scaring local people. In contrast, some villagers think that it is a blessing when elephants enter the village because their huge size could scare diseases and bad luck from entering the village. The herd was seen coming from Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary. They travelled from O’Rana village to Trapeang village. Provincial Department of Environment director Keo Sopheak said he has dispatched rangers from the sanctuary to work with local police to track the movements of the elephants. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50978759/roaming-elephants-destroy-crops/