A mother elephant trampled the owner to death by the roadside in Nakhon Sawan province. Initial speculation suggests that the owner may have attempted to separate the mother and her calf, resulting in the mother elephant becoming agitated and harming the owner.
A shocking incident occurred the mother elephant from Surin province led by its owners to beg along a road apparently became agitated, charging ahead and trampling the female mahout, resulting in her death in a pool of blood.
Upon receiving the report, local police officers from Kao Liew Police Station were promptly dispatched to investigate the scene, along with emergency medical personnel and rescue teams.
The lifeless body of the woman, identified as Ms. Janthira Chuenlam, aged 35, was lying on the ground. Meanwhile, the mother elephant and her calf were found tethered to a tree by the roadside.
According to eyewitness Mr. Nattaphak Piluek, 18, who provided video footage before and after the incident, recounted that the deceased, along with her husband and approximately six others, were accompanying the elephants for selling elephant food within the village. Initially, everything appeared normal, but as they offered money to the elephants, the situation suddenly turned violent. The elephant charged, trampling the victim who was standing nearby, resulting in her death.
Another witness, Ms. Tippawan Kawiwon, 28, said that the elephants had been brought from Surin province to Kao Liew, Nakhon Sawan province, for two days. On the day of the incident, they were engaged in their usual routine of selling elephant food, with the victim and some handlers leading the mother elephant to vend in the village alley while the deceased’s husband was selling alongside the main road with the baby elephant.
It remains uncertain whether the elephant was agitated due to being separated from each other or if they were startled by the sound of bell carried by the deceased.
After offering money to the elephant, the victim signaled her gratitude, intending to offer a bell as a token of appreciation, which unexpectedly triggered the fatal event.
Ms. Tippawan further said that after the incident, immediate efforts were made to assist the victim and to seek medical help, who was still breathing, but sadly, she passed away before reaching the hospital.
Ms. Kamrai Mokkasak, 48, head of the Mahaphot Rescue and Disaster Relief Association, stated that the victim was crushed by the elephant on her right chest, causing her lungs to rupture. As for the elephant, there were no visible signs of distress or abnormal behavior; it was calmly resting with its baby under a tree in the grassy area. It’s uncertain what caused the elephant to attack the keeper.
Her body and the elephants have been transported back to Surin province on a truck.
Mr. Jatesada Ong-Art, the provincial livestock officer of Nakhon Sawan, stated that bringing elephants for begging is an inappropriate use of domestic animals, violates multiple laws, and involves various related agencies such as the Animal Transport Act, Public Health Act, Animal Disease Control Act, Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act, Highway Act, and Traffic Act.
Solving this issue requires cooperation from related agencies as well as from the public. Local leaders and community leaders must not support such actions to protect the welfare of animals.
He ordered a public relations campaign for cooperation to be announced in various areas in Nakhon Sawan province (TNA)
