SURIN : Two teenage mahouts filmed attacking a juvenile elephant on a street in Ubon Ratchathani last week have denied mistreating the animal.
Rung-arun, a four-year-old elephant seen in the video clip circulated online last week being assaulted by his two teenage mahouts, lies on the ground as local authorities and wildlife officials observe the animal’s behaviour and physical condition yesterday at his owner’s home in Surin’s Chumphon Buri district. NOPPARAT KINGKAEO.
Local authorities and wildlife officials yesterday visited the home of Sarayuth Khamkonyai, 50, the owner of the four-year-old elephant shown in the video clip which was circulated online last week.
The clip shows two young mahouts using hooks to attack the young elephant after it collapsed from exhaustion. They also pulled the elephant's tail and kicked it several times.
Mr Sarayuth yesterday admitted that he was the owner of the elephant, named Rung-arun, and that the two teens work for him.
He denied his mahouts attacked the elephant, saying that Rung-arun was "playing" when it lay on the ground.
The elephant stopped in front of a house where the female owner always fed the animal, but she was not there on that day and the animal refused to move, Mr Sarayuth said.
He took the officials and local media to observe the elephant's behaviour and check its physical condition.
Initial examinations found no traces of injury to the animal's body.
The two teen mahout assistants, aged 15 and 19, seen in the video clip, had apologised for the incident.
They said they brought the elephant to sell sugarcane on the street in Muang district, where they walked for about 500m.
The pair insisted they did not use hooks to attack Rung-arun, but only held the animal's trunk to make it move on out of fear the elephant could be hit by cars.
Mr Sarayuth, along with mahouts, local officers and other villagers, then performed a rite to ask for forgiveness for the incident.