PRACHIN BURI: A herd of wild elephants was still lingering at a plantation behind a temple in Kabin Buri district on Saturday despite forestry officials’ attempts to drive them back to the forest.
Banphot Ngamsiri, assistant head of village Moo 9 in tambon Khao Mai Kaew, said some pachyderms were still hiding in sugarcane plantations behind Wat Prong Sadao, and more elephants had joined them.
Teams of forestry officials had been dispatched to drive the elephants back into the forests on Friday after being alerted that a herd of over 70 animals was spotted behind the temple, said Mr Banphot.
Local residents grow sugarcane, cassava and banana trees on land behind the temple, where there are also water sources that could attract the animals.
The herd of the jumbos reportedly came from the Khao Ang Rue Nai sanctuary in nearby Chachoengsao province.
On Friday morning, a wild bull elephant, aged around 10 years old, was electrocuted near a cassava plantation at Ban Khao Makong village in tambon Wang Thachang of Kabin Buri. It had used its tusks to pull down power lines that local residents run from their houses to their plantations.
The Disaster Response Associations Thailand posted news about the dead jumbo, weighing about 2-3 tonnes, and images on its Facebook page on Friday.
Authorities examine a wild bull elephant, aged around 10 years old, that was electrocuted after pulling down a power line with its tusk near a cassava plantation in tambon Wang Thachang of Kabin Buri. (Photo supplied: Manit Sanubboon)