Principal trumpets alarm as wild elephants leave home in disarray

A school principal in Prachin Buri was startled at 3am today to find six wild elephants surrounding his home, causing damage. This is the first time these elephants have ventured so close, having previously only visited neighbouring houses.

The incident took place yesterday when Paitoon Kramphim, the head of a local school, reported that a herd of six wild elephants from Thap Lan National Park encircled his house in Wang Aipong village, Kaeng Dinso subdistrict, Nadi district.

The elephants rummaged through the area, creating a commotion. Paitoon managed to capture the event on video, showing the elephants’ destructive behaviour which lasted for over half an hour before they left the scene in the darkness.

Paitoon recounted the unsettling experience, explaining that he was jolted awake around 3am, today, August 20, by unusual noises outside his home. He heard the trumpeting of elephants and the sound of objects being knocked over.

The solar-powered lights around his house were dimly flickering, adding to the eerie atmosphere. Grabbing his mobile phone, he recorded the herd as they scattered around his property, overturning items and causing considerable chaos.

“I heard strange noises outside and then the trumpeting of elephants, followed by the sound of things being knocked over. It was terrifying.”

The elephants used their trunks to push over a motorcycle and drag a sack of organic fertiliser out of the property. One of them even broke a mango tree, while another wrapped its trunk around a small water jar, half-filled with water, and drank from it.

Shortly after, the elephants wandered off into the night. In the morning, Paitoon surveyed the damage and found three mango trees had been destroyed, and several banana plants and cassava roots planted by the fence had been eaten.

“This is the first time these elephants have come this close to my house. They usually go to my neighbours’ houses 300 to 400 metres away. This was an unprecedented incident.”

The wild elephants’ visit to Paitoon’s property marks a significant deviation from their usual pattern. Previously, they had only ventured to houses within a few hundred metres but had never approached his home directly. The incident has understandably caused concern among the residents of Wang Aipong village, reported KhaoSod.