Park officials ordered to detain dangerous elephant after it killed a villager, damaged farms

A dangerous wild elephant that killed a woman and damaged farms is being tracked down in the central province of Prachin Buri. The 25 year old elephant has caused so much damage and disruption that an order has been issued for park officials to immediately find and detain the elephant. They’ve also been advised to take extreme care for their safety as the elephant is hot-tempered.

The elephant, named in the order as “Sidor Noke,” roamed out of the Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary to tambon Khao Mai Kaew of Krabin Buri, possibly in search of food, which is common for elephants in the area. He raided plantations, damaging orchards and crops, and killed a 73 year old woman last month while she and a friend were picking vegetables and fruit.

The deputy chief of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department signed an order this week for the immediate detainment of the elephant Sidor Noke. Park officials are ordered to relocate the elephant to the wildlife sanctuary as soon as possible. It was advised that park authorities take extra caution given the elephant’s dangerous nature. The elephant was last seen on Monday night.

Several villagers have reported the damage to their farms, but one local says that villagers are rarely compensated for incidents involving wild elephants.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post