Buffalo gores 4 siblings in northeast Thailand

A buffalo went on a rampage and gored four siblings today in Uthai Thani province in northeast Thailand. Three are seriously injured and one sustained a minor injury.

At 10am, officers from Thap Than Police Station were called by residents of Ban Nong Ya Sai village who said a buffalo (kwai) had “gone crazy” and gored four people.

Villagers told police that one of the victims’ guts fell out after he was pierced in the stomach.

Police rushed to the scene with Sa-ad Chanakijkorn, a Tap Than District Livestock official, and Uthai Thani Rescue Foundation to help take the injured to the hospital straight away.

At the scene, police found a crowd of villagers watching a male buffalo “in a state of mania” inside an enclosure.

Sa-aad shot the buffalo with a tranquiliser but it took a while to kick in. The buffalo, Chao Nok, calmed down around 20 minutes later. Sa-aad tied a rope around its neck and tied the animal to a tree.

A brave eyewitness who ran to help the injured, 20 year old Chakkrit Saowaphat, said he was sitting outside when he heard a loud noise. He thought someone was having a fight.

He walked behind the house to see the Thiamchan siblings – consisting of three brothers and one sister – inside the buffalo enclosure trying to calm down five year old Chao Nok, who’d “gone crazy.” He said the buffalo jabbed them all.

One of the brothers, 57 year old Tiraphong Thiamchan, was seriously injured after Chao Nok punctured his stomach and his intestines fell out, reports Matichon. Rescue workers rushed him to the hospital.

Another sibling was stabbed in the neck and another in the face and body, who were both seriously injured and taken to hospital.

Whereas 65 year old Chawiang Thiamchan was only slightly injured in his left arm, needing five stitches.

As for the cause, Sa-aad said that Chao Nok used had only recently moved into the enclosure after being raised by some other relatives. There was one female buffalo and another male of the same age in the pen.

Sa-aad said that naturally, Chao Nok wanted to be the leader of the herd and didn’t appreciate having competition for the female, especially from another buffalo his age.

Chao Nok’s frustration grew until he lost it and gored everyone in sight.