An elephant footprint is seen in a cornfield near a forest within the administrative boundaries of Đắk Wil Commune in Lâm Đồng Province. VNA/VNS Photo

LÂM ĐỒNG — Authorities in the central highlands province of Lâm Đồng on Monday urged residents to avoid entering forests unnecessarily, refrain from staying overnight or travelling through forests at night, and take precautions to ensure their safety after a man was reportedly killed in a wild elephant attack.

At around 1.30pm on June 11, three residents of Nam Dong Commune entered the forest to collect honey and discovered a badly decomposed body that could not be immediately identified. The area surrounding the body contained numerous elephant footprints and elephant dung.

The victim was later identified as H.V.S., 65, a resident of Nam Dong Commune. The incident occurred in Sub-zone 862 of Đắk Wil Commune, a forest area managed by Đắk Wil Forestry One Member LLC.

Hoàng Văn Tám, chairman of the People's Committee of Đắk Wil Commune, said local authorities had coordinated with the forest management unit and relevant agencies to step up public awareness campaigns and advise residents to minimise contact with wild elephants in the area.

He also instructed police, forest rangers and forest management authorities to strengthen joint patrols and strictly prohibit all acts of hunting or harming wild elephants.

A similar incident had previously occurred eight months ago, in October 2025, when authorities in Đắk Wil discovered the body of another man who was also suspected to have been attacked by a wild elephant in Sub-zone 854, which is likewise managed by the company.

The victim, identified as M.V.T., 66, a resident of Đắk Wil Commune, had entered the forest to collect bamboo shoots and had been out of contact with his family for two days before his body was found.

Investigators also discovered numerous elephant footprints and dung at the scene, along with signs that trees and crops had been trampled.

According to local residents, a group of three wild elephants has frequently appeared in the area in recent years. The animals have repeatedly damaged crops and plantations in fields bordering natural forests.

Local authorities and forest managers have also confirmed that wild elephants regularly return to the area in search of food.

According to Đắk Wil Forestry One Member LLC, the forests under its management border the forest areas of Yok Đôn National Park and are home to several wild elephants.

The company said the elephants are highly aggressive and that it has worked with local authorities and relevant agencies to issue repeated warnings, advising residents to keep at least 50 metres away from wild elephants, avoid staying in forests overnight and refrain from activities that may disturb elephant habitats, such as cutting trees or setting up temporary camps.

To prevent wild elephants from attacking people and damaging property, and to monitor elephant movements, the People's Committee of Đắk Wil Commune has established a task force dedicated to protecting residents and driving wild elephants back into the forest.

The team is tasked with rapidly mobilising local forces to chase elephants away from residential and farming areas, thus minimising human-elephant conflicts and reducing damage caused by the animals.

Elephants in Việt Nam are classified as a Group IB species, which are endangered, rare and precious wildlife that receive the highest level of protection. Vietnamese law strictly prohibits the hunting, killing, trading, possession or illegal transportation of elephants and elephant-derived products. — VNS