Thai court mandates repositioning of wild elephant within 15 days

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) of Thailand is facing a new directive from the Nakhon Si Thammarat Administrative Court. The court ruling mandates the capture and repositioning of a wandering wild elephant known as “Phlai Chao Nga” within a stringent time frame of 15 days.

The wandering pachyderm had ventured away from Tai Rom Yen National Park, resulting in substantial damage to the agricultural harvest of the residents of the Nop Phi Tham district, located within Nakhon Si Thammarat. The court ordered was delivered on the Friday, and stipulates that the director-general of the DNP must spearhead the operation to relocate the wild elephant to the Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary within Surat Thani, with progress updates to be provided.

The lawsuit was initiated by a villager from tambon Krung Ching, Saksit Aoysawat, as Phlai Chao Nga made its way into his village in search of food back in January of this year. The complaint highlighted that despite measures implemented by the DNP to restrict the elephant from leaving the forest, such initiatives were ineffective.

The DNP’s former directive to its officers based in the Protected Area Regional Office 5 in Nakhon Si Thammarat—mandating the capture and repositioning of the elephant within the park—had not been carried out. Villagers emphasise the point that while Phlai Chao Nga has not caused any injuries or harm to individuals, the destruction caused to their farming lands has been significant, and there is potential for greater danger to the locals in the future.

In defence of these claims, approximately 25 witnesses were called forward, all of them victims whose agricultural lands had been affected by the wandering elephant. In addition, representatives from the park also gave their statements. Subsequently, the court delivered its judgement to the DNP, demanding the capture of the elephant in a time frame of 15 days, to begin as of Saturday, reported by Bangkok Post.

The court also decided on an alternative location for the elephant’s relocation. Despite the initial plan to transfer the elephant to the Khlong Nga Wildlife Sanctuary within Tai Rom Yen National Park, the court directives now state the relocation be to Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary within Surat Thani, owing to several villagers voicing their concerns about the initial choice being too close to their settlement.

The Sanctuary in Surat Thani is considered a more suitable alternative, especially since it has been identified as designated ground for ‘problematic wild elephants’ by the Elephant Conservation and Management Committee that was established by the cabinet last year.