Surat Thani village headman killed in wild elephant attack

In a tragic turn of events in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, a village headman lost his life in a wild elephant attack. The unfortunate incident occurred on Sunday as the leader attempted to steer a cow elephant and her calf back into the adjacent forest.

The headman, known as Samnao Kraiket, was the leader of Moo 11 village, situated in the Khlong Pha sub-district of Tha Chana district. His life was tragically cut short when he suffered critical injuries during the attack and passed away en route to the hospital.

Samnao’s position, referred to in Thai as Phuyaiban, was abruptly ended by the attack from the wild elephant. The devastating impact left him with life-threatening injuries, including a crushed rib cage, a fractured hip, and grave head trauma.

Surat Thani law enforcement reported that a herd of between nine and eleven wild elephants had wandered into an oil palm plantation at Thap Saming Khla, located in Moo 11 village.

Here, the herd began feeding and stripping the trees. In response, Samnao assembled a team of volunteers intending to drive the elephants away from the plantation and back into their forest habitat.

However, the brave endeavours of Samnao met a tragic end when he was attacked by a cow elephant accompanied by her calf. Despite the deadly incident, the team of volunteers succeeded in their mission to steer the elephants back into the forest.

According to the villagers residing in the local area, wild elephants invading crops in the Khlong Pha and Prasong areas of Tha Chana district is not an uncommon sight, reported The Pattaya News.

Over the years, these wild intrusions have resulted in several casualties, with multiple individuals either losing their lives or sustaining injuries due to encounters with these animals.

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