The department of forest management in the southern province of Binh Phuoc is coordinating with local national parks to protect two herds of 21 gayals which have gone out of the forest and destroyed crops.

The best solution is to herd the animals into national park Cat Tien or Vinh Cuu in the neighboring province of Dong Nai, according to the forest rangers.

The animals of two species Bos-gaurus and Bos-javanicus have recently been spotted scavenging for food in the areas of Tan Lap Farm in Dong Phu District.

Last year, the animals caused severe damage to the farm by treading on rubber trees and crops.

Many locals tried to drive them away with explosives, by setting fire, or making noise to no avail.

It was the shrinking of forests that forced the animals into leaving their normal habitat. In Binh Phuoc alone, over 1,000 hectares of forest were chopped down last year.

In 2012, a gayal weighing 360kg in Cat Tien was shot dead when it was running out to the forest edge.

Cat Tien now has around 120 gayals.