Wildlife tragedy: Thailand mourns as serow and tiger bite the dust

A serow was discovered shot dead in Phetchabun province, while an injured tiger succumbed to its wounds in Buriram, according to reports from Thai officials yesterday.

Chanyaphak Thanachatakkarakun, the chief of Phupha Daeng Wildlife Sanctuary, revealed yesterday, July 21, that a worker from the Silarat Lom Sak stone crushing plant heard gunshots emanating from a mountaintop and subsequently witnessed a serow plummeting into a pit.

The area, a quarry in the mountainous region of tambon Bung Nam Tao, Lom Sak district, had been partially excavated. Upon investigation, officials found an adult male serow with seven shotgun wounds to its neck.

No suspects were present at the scene, which lies outside Khao Kheo National Park. Lom Sak police have been directed to investigate the incident and locate the perpetrator.

The serow is among Thailand’s 15 protected species under the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act 2019.

In a separate incident in Buriram, a tiger that had consumed several cows belonging to local villagers and sustained injuries on Friday, died in Non Dindaeng district, near the Dong Yai National Reserved Forest.

Thai officials, alongside local veterinarians, formulated a plan to rescue the tiger. Unfortunately, it was later found in a severely weakened state, barely breathing and extremely emaciated, before it ultimately died.

An initial examination of the tiger’s carcass revealed no external injuries. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the precise cause of death, reported Bangkok Post.

In related news, following the arrest of illegal tiger cubs and ivory traffickers, the Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation ordered a thorough inspection of all tiger farms, with strict actions promised against any illegal activities.

This move, on July 15, is part of the intensifying efforts to clamp down on illegal wildlife trade in Thailand.

The Director-General, Atthaphon Charoenchansa, today revealed that Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn, Director of the National Parks Office and Special Operations Advisor for the Wildlife Protection Unit (Phaya Suea), led a team of officers to apprehend a group involved in cross-border wildlife trade in Surin province.