Gaur carcass found in Thai pineapple plantation, foul play suspected

An almost 1-tonne female gaur carcass was discovered in a pineapple plantation in Kui Buri, suspected to have been fatally injured by a male gaur. The incident occurred in a military safety zone, approximately 5 kilometres outside Kui Buri National Park.

Somjet Jantana, the Director of the Phetchaburi Office of Conservation Area 3, reported that a local farmer found the decomposing gaur. The discovery was made yesterday, and the coordinates were noted as 47 P 0574000 E 1365344 N, in Moo 5, Khao Chao subdistrict, Pran Buri district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

The carcass of the female gaur was found lying on its right side, emitting a foul odour. The body showed signs of having been dead for about five days, with scabs and other injuries indicating it had been attacked.

Nopporn Akkamanee, a forestry officer and assistant chief of Kui Buri National Park, with Anurak Sakulpong, a veterinarian from the Conservation Area 3 office, and other relevant officials, examined the carcass, yesterday, October 28.

They determined it to be a mature female, approximately 15 to 20 years old, weighing between 800 and 1,000 kilogrammes. The external examination revealed the body to be largely intact with no visible injuries, though there were wart-like lesions, Nopporn said.

“The scanning did not reveal any foreign metal objects in the carcass.”

Upon conducting an autopsy, they discovered bruising and blood clots from the chest to the hip area.

The veterinarian concluded that the death likely resulted from injuries sustained during a fight with another gaur. The width of the bruising was consistent with the horn span of a male gaur, reported KhaoSod.

Given the findings, it was recommended that the carcass be buried on-site to prevent the spread of diseases to other wildlife. The head of the carcass has been preserved at the national park for further examination. Nopporn has been tasked with officially recording the incident at Pran Buri Police Station.