Couple Camping at Wildlife Sanctuary Attacked by Wild Elephants

In the early hours of Sunday, a couple on a nature study tour escaped serious injury when wild elephants allegedly destroyed their tent and campsite at Omkoi Wildlife Sanctuary.

An animal struck through the tent wall, bruising the man, and the couple spent the rest of the night fearful they would be attacked again.

The couple were studying tour participants who hiked on Doi Mon Chong, a small mountain in the park that straddles Chiang Mai and Tak provinces.

The incident happened about 12:30 am on Sunday, according to Navi Sinsupakul, the chief of the Omkoi Wildlife Sanctuary. Immediately after the announcement, the sanctuary shut down its nature study program.

As part of the nature study tour, the couple camped out.

In the middle of the night, the couple heard noises outside their tent, which they assumed were the sounds of large animals. The man was suddenly struck by a pain-filled blow through the tent wall. He suffered a painful injury to his right arm and shoulder. He also suffered chest pain and breathing difficulties as a result.

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Once they had exited from the tent, they discovered that the campsite and their other gear had been flattened.

According to the footprints in the area, a trekking guide that they hired to accompany them and had been sleeping separately nearby advised them that the camp had likely been overrun by Asian elephants.

As soon as wildlife authorities were alerted, an emergency van arrived from Omkoi Hospital with help from wildlife officials. Wildlife officials were able to transport the injured camper to the hospital. It was later discovered that he only suffered minor bruising as a result of the incident.

During the meeting with the sanctuary chief, it was quickly decided that the nature study route on Doi Mon Chong would have to be closed in the interest of safety. The area is probably now inhabited by a herd of wild Asian elephants that wandered into the area.

Omkoi Wildlife Sanctuary covers an area of 765,000 rai mostly in Chiang Mai Province’s Omkoi and Doi Tao districts, but also in Tak Province’s Mae Ramat and Sam Ngao districts.