Wild elephant kills domesticated elephant

Wild elephant kills domesticated elephant

The dead elephant, still chained to a tree in  Wiang Sa district of Surat Thani on Wednesday morning.(Photo by Supapong Chaolan)
The dead elephant, still chained to a tree in Wiang Sa district of Surat Thani on Wednesday morning.(Photo by Supapong Chaolan)

SURAT THANI – A domesticated male elephant was found dead on Wednesday morning in a rubber plantation close to Tai Rom Yen National Park, apparently fatally gored by a wild bull elephant.

The 27-year-old elephant had been taken there by his owner on Tuesday to haul rubber tree logs at the plantation on Plai Hon hill in tambon Ban Song of Wiang Sa district.

At the end of the day, he was chained to a tree for the night. On Wednesday morning the owner arrived back there and found the elephant was dead, with wounds that indicated he had been gored by an elephant's tusks. 

Praphansak Chaipho, chief of Tai Rom Yen National Park, and police examined the body.

He said there were four or five wild elephants ranging the area for food on Tuesday night and it was likely they had attacked the chained elephant.

The national park covers three districts - Wiang Sa, Kanchanadit and Ban Na San. There are an estimated 60-70 wild elephants in the park. Two years ago, a 3-year-old wild elephant was killed in a fight with a large male.

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