Wild elephants destroy farmland in northern Maungdaw

By Admin 20 Oct 2026

DMG Newsroom

20 October 2026, Maungdaw

Wild elephants have destroyed extensive areas of farmland in northern Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, leaving local farmers facing severe livelihood hardships.

Herds of wild elephants have repeatedly trampled paddy fields and eaten fruit trees and other crops, causing significant agricultural losses for local farmers.

“The destroyed paddy fields cannot be replanted at this stage of the season,” said a resident of Gyitchaung Village in Maungdaw Township. “Because of the constant danger posed by wild elephants, local farmers are struggling to secure their basic livelihoods.”

Residents of Gyitchaung, Laungdone, Wetkyein and Tarain villages in Maungdaw Township said recent wild elephant incursions had not only destroyed crops but also posed a constant threat to human life.

Frequent elephant incursions into villages in northern Maungdaw have made daily farming activities difficult, while travelling at night has become particularly dangerous, locals said.

“This year, we have spotted nearly 100 wild elephants in the area,” said another Maungdaw resident. “Beyond destroying paddy fields, they frequently enter villages directly, leaving residents living in fear.”

Wild elephants enter northern Maungdaw every year, destroying farmland and orchards and occasionally attacking residents, sometimes fatally.

In October 2022, a wild elephant killed a young Hindu child in a paddy field east of Ngakhuya Village in Maungdaw Township.

In November 2021, an ethnic Maramagyi man from Meetaik Village in Maungdaw Township was attacked by a wild elephant while searching for cattle. He sustained severe injuries to both legs, his left eye and his abdomen.