Elephant kills farmer in Chiang Mai

Another fatality within the elephant community this week.

Yesterday, a farmer was trampled to death by an elephant in the northern province of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Police say the body of 68-year-old Sa-ard Khamsrijai was found in the garden of his vegetable farm in the San Sai district.

Police claim the body had trampling-like wounds, and a female elephant, owned by a local elephant park, was found near the scene. Sa-ard was watering his plants when he came across the elephant and tried to shoot him away, but the animal screamed and trampled on him.

Police believe the park had brought the elephant out to the forage because there have been no visitors to the park since the Covid 19 outbreak. The elephant was tied to a tree in the forest, but broke free and wandered into the victims Sa-ard’s farm.

Police have allegedly filed criminal charges against the owner of the park.

Is this becoming a problem? 

This isn’t the first event. Just a week ago, a village elder in central Thailand’s Tha Takiab district was crushed and killed by a wild elephant while harvesting mangoes.

The Covid-19 crisis has caused an end to the tourism which elephant parks and camps, that were heavily relied on, especially in the North.

Are elephants being looked after enough?

The Elephant businesses in Chiang Mai and elsewhere are being wiped out in tenfold, possibly even hundreds, causing elephants and their caregivers in Thailand to be left in dire straits. Most of their businesses have closed their doors and laid off thousands of employees. Those who remain open are hemorrhaging cash, and the elephants, left largely without food, are forced to forage.

SOURCE:Chiang Rai Times

 

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