Charging elephant gores a foraging man to death

Two elderly villagers were foraging in a Loei province forest when, out of nowhere, an elephant burst through the trees. The charging elephant caused the men to scatter and flee, but one did not escape and got gored to death. The unfortunate incident took place within the Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary on Sunday.

The two men in their seventies had gone out looking for various items in the forest in the Wang Saphung district that is home to the wildlife sanctuary. The pair had travelled about 3 kilometres in their foraging when suddenly the elephant burst through a thicket in the forest, charging at the two helpless men.

Authorities believe the elephant was in a rut, a term which means sexual heat during mating season, usually annually. This can account for an elephant’s intense behaviour.

The men instinctively ran in separate directions. But one of the men could not get out of the way quick enough. He was gored and trampled by the giant beast and cast aside. The other man managed to outrun the elephant and flee to safety.

The survivor headed back to town and told his neighbours about the stampeding elephant. The neighbours contacted the police in the district for help. A rescue team made up of villagers and local police set off into the wildlife sanctuary to find the gored man.

When they found the forager, it was too late. He was already dead, having sustained severe wounds in his abdomen from the charging elephant, according to Thai PBS World.