Midnight mayhem: Tiger on prowl in West Thailand, alarms locals

A community in West Thailand was thrown into a state of alarm after a tiger emerged in the dead of night, apparently attacking residents. The incident took place in the early hours of today, May 16, when a tiger cub was spotted within a residential area of Bang Pakong, Chachoengsao, causing chaos and prompting an urgent response from local authorities and rescue teams.

The tiger sighting was reported to Deputy Inspector Pongphop Kudhom of the Bang Pakong Police Station at approximately 3.30am. Upon receiving the call, Pongphop and his patrol unit, along with the Chachoengsao rescue team, rushed to the scene located in Soi Bang Wua-Bang Jak 7 in Moo 11, Bang Wua Sub-district. What they found was a village rattled by an unexpected visitor, a medium-sized tiger, resting outside a home in the area.

The house, numbered 12/2 in Moo 11, belonged to 23 year old Thanapol, whose last name has been withheld for privacy. Thanapol and his fellow residents were stunned to find the wild animal lying in front of his property.

The rescue team, with the help of the locals, attempted to coax the tiger into the open so that it could be safely captured. However, the animal became aggressive, causing some villagers to flee in terror.

While the initial assumption was that the animal was a stray dog, it became evident that it was a young tiger when it started biting people. The situation escalated as the tiger attacked a journalist’s leg, leading to a tense and frantic 10-minute attempt to lure the animal out of the residential area and into the street for capture.

Rescue workers tried to subdue the tiger with a cloth but it grew increasingly agitated and began to bite more ferociously, injuring rescuers, police officers, and the journalist with its sharp teeth, leaving their pants torn and skin scraped.

Tiger attack

Eventually, the rescue team managed to apprehend the tiger and secure it in the back of a rescue vehicle. The police documented the incident and took custody of the tiger, which was then delivered to the Regional Wildlife Conservation Office No. 2 (Si Racha) for appropriate handling, reported KhaoSod.

Twenty-one-year-old Chayanan recounted the harrowing experience, revealing that he was driving Thanapol home on a motorcycle when they encountered the tiger in the middle of the street. Initially mistaking it for a dog, they realised their mistake as the animal approached, identifying it as a tiger. The two men quickly fled to Thanapol’s house, with the leopard in pursuit, leading to an emergency call for assistance.