Wild elephants forage for food, wreak havoc in Prachin Buri
The mammoths rampaged before retreating into forest despite attempts to shoo them away
A group of five wild elephants, including a mother and calf, from Thap Lan National Park, invaded a worker’s home late at night, causing significant damage as they searched for food.
The incident, which marks the sixth consecutive day the elephants have roamed outside the park, occurred yesterday, July 10, in Prachin Buri province.
The elephants, part of a herd that has been leaving the Thap Lan forest, targeted the worker’s accommodation in the middle of an eucalyptus plantation. The wooden house, built for workers, suffered extensive damage with two walls destroyed.
The elephants rummaged through the refrigerator and pantry, damaging two 200-litre plastic barrels, a 1,000-litre container, a medium-sized dragon jar, a rice cooker, and breaking a pot of fermented fish.
Samai Jaidee, a rubber plantation guard who witnessed the event, described hearing loud noises and elephants trumpeting around 1am while preparing to tap rubber. Upon investigating with a flashlight, he found a large mother elephant ransacking the worker’s home.
Despite his attempts to deter the elephants by shouting, more elephants joined, bringing the total to five, and continued the destruction. Eventually, the herd retreated into the forest after more shouts.
Thongchai, the eucalyptus plantation owner, expressed his concern after discovering the damage and mentioned it was the second time the elephants had destroyed the workers’ accommodation. He urged officials to monitor the elephants to prevent further incidents, reported KhaoSod.
The incident also highlighted efforts by Thap Lan National Park, in collaboration with various organisations, including the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and local monitoring networks, to manage the elephants’ movements.
This includes using drone technology and flying loudspeakers to track and encourage the elephants back into the forest.
Currently, the herd consists of approximately 50 elephants, reduced from 70, and has split into four groups. Approximately seven elephants were last seen heading towards a gravel pit about 1 kilometre from Wang Ai Pong village.
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