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After elephant's tusk cut for its 1 million baht in ivory by illegal ivory traders, wound became swollen & infected. Elephant hovers near death.

After tusks were cut off by poachers, the wounds of the elephant became infected. (Photo: Aswin Wongnorkaew)

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Injured jumbo's health worsens

17-12-2012

LAMPANG : An elephant savaged by poachers for its tusk is in a critical condition after its wound became infected.

Most of the 44-year-old male jumbo's left tusk was severed in the Dec 11 attack.

The tusk was about 1 metre long and weighed more than 20 kilogrammes. The other one had already been removed.

The pachyderm had been secured and left alone in a forest near Wangtom village in Lampang's Mae Mo district, where its owner, Tawat Kreusai, 44, lives.

The animal was tranquilised before its tusk was cut off.

Its wound became swollen and infected, Sithideth Mahawangsakul, chief of an elephant hospital in Lampang's Thai Elephant Conservation Centre, said.

Police said they had summoned three suspects in Mae Mo district for questioning.

The ivory could fetch up to 1 million baht on the black market. The price of 1kg of ivory is about 40,000 baht.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Injured jumbo's health worsens, 17-12-2012) 


Illegal Ivory Trade

elephant - (See Wikipedia)
jumbo - Same as "elephant"
pachyderm - Same as "elephant" (See Wikipedia)

tusk - either of the two long pointed teeth which stick out from the mouth of some animals such as elephants งาช้าง (See Wikipedia)

ivory - the yellowish-white bone that the tusks of animals such as the elelphant are made of สีงาช้าง (See Wikipedia)
elephant ivory

illegal ivory trade - "international trade in Asian elephant ivory was banned in 1975 when the Asian elephant was placed on Appendix One of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)" .(See Wikipedia)

infected - having a disease transmitted from someone else ซึ่งติดเชื้อ
wound - an injury in which your skin or flesh is damaged, usually seriously บาดเจ็บ บาดแผล
infected wound

injured - hurt, damage to body ซึ่งได้รับบาดเจ็บ
injured jumbo's health worsens

in critical condition - very seriously ill or injured and might die อย่างรุนแรง อย่างวิกฤต
an elephant is in a critical condition after its wound became infected.

savage (verb) - when an animal attacks and injures or kills someone 
poacher -  a person who illegally catches animals, birds or fish
an elephant savaged by poachers for its tusk

severed - cut off ถูกตัด
severed tusk
most of elephant's left tusk was severed  

secured  - to hold something firmly and strongly in one place by tieing or fastening it to something (like a post or tree)
left alone - people left and it was by itself
the pachyderm had been secured and left alone in a forest

tranquilise - to make a animal or human calmer by using a drug ทำให้สงบ, ระงับประสาท
the animal was tranquilised before its tusk was cut off

swollen - when part of a person's body becomes larger than normal  
the wound became swollen and infected

summon - officially order someone to come to a place, especially a court of law เรียกตัว หมายเรียก เรียกตัว
questioning - when police ask people "questions" to gather information and help solve a crime
summon for questioning

suspects - people that the police think might be guilty of a crime ผู้ต้องสงสัย
summon suspects for questioning

police said they had summoned three suspects for questioning.

fetch - to be sold for a particular amount of money ขายในราคาหนึ่ง
fetch up to 1 million baht

black market - the illegal buying and selling of goods (of goods that have been illegally "smuggled" into a country, for example) ตลาดมืด (See Wikipedia)
fetch up to 1 million baht on the black market

the ivory could fetch up to 1 million baht on the black market