NAKHON RATCHASIMA: A small herd of wild elephants rampaged through a coconut plantation in Khon Buri district on Sunday night, the fourth time the herd has raided the farm.
About 10 elephants emerged from the adjoining Thap Lan National Park and uprooted and knocked down about 300 coconut trees.
Chamroon Srichiangsa, chief of Area 5 of Thap Lan National Park, led park officials and community leaders to inspect the devastated coconut farm at Ban Sa Luang in tambon Chorakhe Hin on Tuesday morning.
Boonsong Soykrathok, 72, the farm owner, said there were about 500 coconut trees on his farm. They were of a type for producing fragrant coconut juice, or maprao nam hom.
On Sunday night, the elephants knocked down about 100 trees on which the nuts were about ready for market. The herd also uprooted about 200 others and ate the young nuts.
Mr Boonsong said it was the fourth time in the last month that elephants had raided his plantation. The first time there were only a few of them, but the number grew each time.
He felt totally discouraged and did not know what he could do to protect what remained of his farm.
Mr Chamroon said the damage was being assessed so compensation could be paid to the farm owner.
Park rangers would be assigned to watch the herd and push it back into the park if the elephants tried to raid the farm again, he said.