Hua Hin district collaborated with the local committee to resolve the problem of elephants trespassing Huay Sat Yai villager’s properties. The villagers and the committee agreed to plant 2,700 tamarind trees along the boundaries as a temporary ‘natural barrier’ to prevent wild elephants from trespassing and destroying their properties and crops.
If these ‘natural barriers’ would be helpful for its purpose, perhaps more tamarind trees could be planted in the future in order to extend the boundaries as well as generating additional income for the villagers through collecting its pod and harvesting the fruit to be sold commercially.
On November 13, Mr. Somjate Charoensong, Senior District Chief of Hua Hin, led the group of volunteers in planting tamarind trees at the OTOP Product Center area (off Huay Sat Yai), in order to prevent wild elephants from trespassing around Kaeng Krachan National Park area.
Joining the task were village chiefs, headmen, the Huay Sat Yai Subdistrict Administration Organization, Wildlife Conservation Society of Thailand (WCS) and the people of Huay Sat Yai planted 2,700 tamarind trees creating ‘natural barriers’ for a distance of 1,350 metres in the Hup-Pla- Kang area, which is an area vulnerable to villagers.
This plantation also helps cover up an open space area which is also a workplace for villagers. Tamarind trees, when fully grown, its branches will be tightly entwined, thus, strengthening the existing ‘natural barriers’.
Tamarind is a plant that elephants don’t like to get near to and it endures drought, fast to grow, but most importantly, their branches are strong and not easy for elephants to barge in. This project is of great benefit to the community as it prevents wild elephants from destroying agricultural crops, belongings, property and even lives of the villagers.
By Hua Hin Today
