Tragic tail: Family finds elderly woman’s dead body and 30 starving dogs in northern Thailand

Family members yesterday discovered the dead body of a 70-year-old woman in a house in the northern province of Lampang, northern Thailand. The woman had passed away at least three days prior to her discovery, leaving behind 30 starving dogs.

Growing increasingly concerned after receiving no response to their phone calls for several days, the family decided to travel from their province to Lampang in search of answers. What they stumbled upon in the bedroom left them in shock—the dead body of their beloved relative. The state of the body suggested that the woman had been deceased for a considerable period.

The family then reported the death to Khelang Nakhon Police Station and the rescue team. Officers conducted a preliminary investigation on the dead body to ascertain the cause of death. They found no visible wounds or signs of struggle on the body. Officers believe the woman passed away from a congenital disease. The woman’s family agreed with the conclusion.

Aside from the distressing scene inside the house, the police also discovered 30 dogs wandering around the house. They looked exhausted and hungry because of a lack of food and water.

According to the family, the deceased wanted all of the dogs to stay at Weruwanaram Temple after she passed away and the monks agreed to the dead woman’s request.

The woman’s dead body was then transferred to Phra Bart Temple for a funeral. Following the conclusion of the ceremony, the abbot of Weluwanaran Temple, Phrakrumaha Wichai Akkadecho, added that he would ensure that all of the dogs are safely transferred to the temple.

According to ThaiRath, the temple has more than 400 stray dogs and it costs over 50,000 baht a month to feed them. The temple welcomes donations, with interested individuals able to contribute via the abbot’s bank accounts at Siam Commercial Bank (SCB), account number 502-2634-398.

The deceased and the temple are not the only caretakers of stray dogs in Thailand. Several non-profit organisations and individuals dedicate themselves to the well-being of these animals.

For example, a Thai woman named Kawinporn Winichthaoprathom devotes all her efforts to caring for more than 2,500 stray dogs and cats at her shelter in the Muak Lek district of the central province of Saraburi. Kawinporn has invested over 100 million baht in supporting stray dogs, even selling her assets such as cars, plots of land, and houses to fund the animals’ care.

Her exceptional commitment and dedication caught the attention of Hershey’s which chose to honor her efforts by featuring her on their chocolate wrappers in celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8 of this year.