Elephant Tramples Wildlife Sanctuary Officer to Death in Northeastern Thailand

 

LEOI – A wild elephant in the Northeastern Province of Loei invading a farming area to eat the crop spotted a Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary officer and attacked him yesterday, resulting in the man’s death.

Late on Saturday morning, a large male elephant came down from Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary in Phu Ruea District to eat the crop of a local resident in the Pha Bao Pha Sao herbal orchard in Ban Na Sam Saeng, Wang Saphung District.

The elephant had been coming to eat the people’s crops for several days. During that time, Mr Phaisarn Patthum aged 53, an officer of the sanctuary came to take his turn after another officer had been looking after the elephant for four days.

While Mr Phaisarn and other officers were tracking it, the elephant saw him and ran to attack him. The man ran to get away from it, but tripped and fell, so the elephant was able to catch up with him and stamp on him, resulting in serious injuries; it then walked away. The officers at the scene promptly took their injured colleague to Wang Saphung Hospital, but tragically he died soon after.

By Vipaporn Pooritanasarn