Thai man shot by hidden animal trap while urinating in forest
A Thai man sustained gunshot wounds to his hand and leg after stumbling upon an animal trap while entering a forest to urinate in the Isaan province of Nakhon Ratchasima.
Officers from Pak Chong Police Station were alerted to the injury of 24 year old Thai man, Warawut, at 8.30am yesterday, April 2. Warawut suffered injuries to his left hand and right leg but was unable to identify what had caused them.
The victim’s uncle, Rueangdate, reported to the police that he, his nephew, and other construction workers were about to travel from their accommodation to a work site.
While waiting for the welfare vehicle to pick them up, Warawut needed to urinate, so he walked into a nearby forest to relieve himself. Unexpectedly, Warawut stumbled upon something, believed by Rueangdate to be an animal trap, and was injured.
Rueangdate said he and others heard Warawut scream for help and rushed to check on him. The wounds resembled gunshot wounds, but they were unable to locate a gun at the time due to the chaos.
Warawut was admitted to Pak Chong Nana Hospital, where doctors found that the bones in his little finger, middle finger, and index finger were broken. Two gunshot wounds were also found on his right leg. The medical team confirmed that he is in a stable condition.
Police officers investigated the scene and discovered that the animal trap was powered by a .22 gun. They have yet to identify the owner of the trap.
Forest ranger Somyot Manorot told Channel 7 that this type of trap is used for large animals such as wild boar, deer, and serow. The forest is a protected area where hunting is prohibited, so whoever set the trap will face legal consequences for both injuring the victim and intruding into the forest.
The police now closed off the area and warned construction workers and locals to avoid entering the site for safety reasons.
There were multiple previous incidents involving hunting traps, some of which resulted in fatalities. In January last year, a Thai man fatally shot his friend in a sugar cane field in the Isaan province of Chaiyaphum, claiming he mistook him for a rat.
In another incident, a Thai man killed his friend in the northern province of Lampang while hunting. The suspect claimed he mistook his friend for a wild boar.
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