Thai village in chaos as wild elephant wreaks havoc

A wild elephant, known as Rod Tang, wreaked havoc in a village in Buriram province, damaging a house and sending the inhabitants into a state of fear. The incident occurred yesterday in Nong Samet village, Non Din Daeng district, resulting in significant property damage and leading to pleas for assistance from relevant authorities.

The house, a single-storey concrete property numbered 182/20, belongs to a local village assistant and resident elephant handler. Positioned merely 100 metres away from the Nong Samet drug checkpoint, the house suffered considerable damage, with walls and aluminium windows shattered, and approximately two sacks of paddy strewn around the exterior.

Lamchuan Jinphla, the 56 year old homeowner’s wife, disclosed that the incident unfolded around 3am, when her husband wasn’t at home. Startled from her sleep by a loud noise, she initially thought it to be a wild elephant. Upon stepping out of her mosquito net, she shockingly found herself only a foot away from the elephant, reported KhaoSod.

Her 58 year old husband, Heuang Jinphla, a village assistant and the local elephant handler, informed that the intruding elephant was Rod Tang, a nine year old male with a distinctive short tail. Usually, Rod Tang would sneak into the village to forage for cassava and other crops.

On this occasion though, he had been successfully pushed back only to return and cause damage to the house. Upon receiving a call from his wife, Heuang rushed home to find Rod Tang still feeding on the stored paddy, consuming approximately one sack before being driven off.

Heuang further commented that wild elephants have been frequently encroaching into the village as their habitats have been shrinking and food sources dwindling. This was the first time, however, an elephant had caused such extensive damage to a house, prompting calls for government intervention.

He highlighted that since the beginning of the year, four villagers have already lost their lives to wild elephants, fearing the situation could worsen without prompt action.