elephants

  • Thailand NewsStudents ride elephants to school in northern Thailand

    Students ride elephants to school in northern Thailand

    Some might take a bus, others ride their bike, some will walk. But some Thai kids arrived at school via elephant this morning in Tak province, northern Thailand. Today was the first day of nationwide on-site classes in Thai schools after almost two years of online, remote studying. To mark the occasion, parents from Baan Ya Por School in Phob…

  • Pattaya NewsAuthorities worry too many elephants in Chon Buri, eastern provinces

    Authorities worry too many elephants in Chon Buri, eastern provinces

    Thailand’s wildlife authorities worry there are too many elephants in Chon Buri, and 4 other eastern provinces including Chachoengsao, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Sa Kaeo. On Friday, the director of the department’s Wildlife Conservation Office addressed the public about elephants’ behaviours, and ways to get them back into the wild if they came into community areas. The director, Phadet Laithong, said…

  • Thailand News5 elephants die after falling into sinkhole in Kanchanaburi

    5 elephants die after falling into sinkhole in Kanchanaburi

    In the latest tragedy for Thailand’s wildlife, 5 wild elephants were found dead in a national park in the western province of Kanchanaburi on Thursday. Even though they were just found this week, the elephants were estimated to have been dead for over 2 months after they fell into a natural sinkhole. The chief of Lam Khlong Ngu National Park…

  • Northern Thailand NewsGPS tracking collars for Thai elephants to follow their activities

    GPS tracking collars for Thai elephants to follow their activities

    Thailand’s wildlife authorities have successfully tracked and tagged a third of the wild elephant in the Phu Luang wildlife sanctuary in the north-eastern province of Loei (near the Laos border) attaching a GPS collar which will follow the elephant’s activities after many had left their normal grazing grounds for food. The GPS collars are being attached to 5 elephants and…

  • Thailand NewsPark officials ordered to detain dangerous elephant after it killed a villager, damaged farms

    Park officials ordered to detain dangerous elephant after it killed a villager, damaged farms

    A dangerous wild elephant that killed a woman and damaged farms is being tracked down in the central province of Prachin Buri. The 25 year old elephant has caused so much damage and disruption that an order has been issued for park officials to immediately find and detain the elephant. They’ve also been advised to take extreme care for their…

  • Thailand News21 million baht lawsuit filed against resort after man trampled to death by elephant

    21 million baht lawsuit filed against resort after man trampled to death by elephant

    Almost a year has passed since an elephant trampled a man to death at a hotel resort in the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima. Today, a lawyer, authorised by the man’s wife, has filed a lawsuit amounting to 21 million baht in damages against the resort. 53 year old Raja Thiraphitthayatrakul was trampled to death by an elephant which came loose…

  • Thailand NewsElephant crossing! 35 new road signs warn Kanchanaburi drivers not to hit elephants

    Elephant crossing! 35 new road signs warn Kanchanaburi drivers not to hit elephants

    After a pickup truck hit and killed an elephant on a Kanchanaburi highway in January, 35 new elephant crossing signs have been posted along that highway, a wildlife sanctuary chief told the Bangkok Post yesterday. Elephants regularly cross this highway, Highway 1399, to move between different feeding areas. The signs warn drivers that the speed limit is 60 kilometres per…

  • Northern Thailand NewsLocal farmers accused of setting 100 elephant traps near sanctuary

    Local farmers accused of setting 100 elephant traps near sanctuary

    Officials from the Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary in Loei province filed a complaint with police about neighbouring villagers, accusing them of setting more than 100 elephant traps. The neighbours were alleged to have set the traps to protect their farms from elephants eating their crops. The sanctuary officials brought several of the elephant traps with them to the police as…

  • Thailand NewsA Thailand Christmas tradition: Santa Elephants in Covid-19 masks

    A Thailand Christmas tradition: Santa Elephants in Covid-19 masks

    “Hey Thaiger – is it possible to encompass just how different Christmas is in Thailand and in the Covid-19 era in just one lead sentence?” Why, yes it is: In Ayutthaya today, a school celebrated Christmas with elephants adorned in festive Santa hats as well as giant surgical masks, passing out gifts of face masks, hand gel, and balloons. The…

  • Thailand NewsElephant tusks hoped to raise 25 million baht for conservation

    Elephant tusks hoped to raise 25 million baht for conservation

    If you still haven’t found that perfect Christmas present for that hard to shop for loved one, here’s a perfect multi-million baht gift idea. A pair of ethically obtained elephant tusks will be offered on auction to raise money for the Chang Thongkhum Elephant Conservation Centre. The starting bid price? 25 million baht. Elephant tusks are highly prized and banned…

  • Things To DoTop 5 things to do in Khao Sok National Park

    Top 5 things to do in Khao Sok National Park

    Khao Sok National Park is one of the best places to see Thailand’s natural rainforests. Set in the middle of Surat Thani Province, this national park is full of jungle-covered, limestone mountains, caves, and wild animals. Those who think they have seen it all will be surprised as the park is quite remote, allowing visitors to see how local Thais…

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Today | Private vaccines, PM promises to re-open Thailand, Phuket Sandbox | June 17

    Thailand News Today | Private vaccines, PM promises to re-open Thailand, Phuket Sandbox | June 17

    Advertisements for Covid-19 vaccines by private hospitals are set to be tightly regulated to prevent exaggeration or any statements that may mislead the public, students in the Isaan province of Surin decided to go to school old style, Mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades from Myanmar have landed in Thai border towns in the Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces and…

  • Thailand NewsElephants walking from Pattaya to Surin get a lift

    Elephants walking from Pattaya to Surin get a lift

    The families and their 5 elephants that have been walking from Pattaya to Surin have now received some help, and are travelling by truck thanks to an anonymous donor. As previously reported, after more than a year of waiting for borders to reopen from the Covid-19 pandemic and tourism to begin to return, the families were forced to give up…

  • Pattaya NewsUnemployed elephants walk 500 kilometres from Pattaya to Surin

    Unemployed elephants walk 500 kilometres from Pattaya to Surin

    A group of 5 elephants and their owners began the long walk today from Pattaya to Surin after giving up on the return of tourism anytime soon. The 500 kilometre journey has to be done on foot as they couldn’t afford to hire trucks large enough to carry each elephant. After waiting a year for the Chinese tourists that make…

  • Songkran NewsTAT New York office to host a virtual Songkran from Chiang Mai

    TAT New York office to host a virtual Songkran from Chiang Mai

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand is set to host a virtual Songkran celebration from Chiang Mai next month in its New York office to celebrate the Thai New Year. “Spring into Songkran Splendours” will be broadcast live from Chiang Mai and is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8 from 8pm-9pm Eastern Standard Time. Free registration is available online by following this…

  • Northern Thailand NewsThailand non-profit offers Zoom calls with Santa and his elephant friends

    Thailand non-profit offers Zoom calls with Santa and his elephant friends

    Santa Claus isn’t at the North Pole this year. He’s in Northern Thailand. And he’s not with elves. He’s mixing in with some of Thailand’s beloved elephants. Don’t believe it? Give him a Zoom call. Zoom calls on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with “Santa & his Elves” are offered by the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort and the…

  • Things To DoWhen next in Thailand, don’t do these things – VIDEO

    When next in Thailand, don’t do these things – VIDEO

    Most of the time you’re spoiled for choice with things to do in Thailand. It’s what makes the country so popular for overseas visitors, and as a place to live. But there are a few things that may be worth avoiding, despite being available, during your time in the Land of Smiles. Here’s The Thaiger’s Top 10 list of potential…

  • Pattaya NewsElephants chase motorbike driver to Chon Buri home

    Elephants chase motorbike driver to Chon Buri home

    Wild elephants chased a motorbike driver in Chon Buri, following him to a family’s home where he stopped and asked to hide inside. 3 elephants ran after him to the house and damaged the front of the home. Luckily, the elephants weren’t able to enter inside the home and the family, including a child and a pregnant woman, were not…

  • Pattaya NewsPickup truck crashes into elephant as herd runs across Chon Buri road

    Pickup truck crashes into elephant as herd runs across Chon Buri road

    A herd of wild elephants running across a road in Chon Buri caused a driver to crash into an elephant, damaging his Isuzu pickup truck and injuring a 20 year old passenger. 34 year old Sompong Duangknam says he was heading to the province’s Ban Ang Kraden district when a group of about 20 elephants ran out of the forest and…

  • Central Thailand NewsCabinet approves 435 million baht to control hungry elephants, monkeys

    Cabinet approves 435 million baht to control hungry elephants, monkeys

    The Covid-19 crisis hasn’t just affected humans and businesses; it’s had a profound impact on Thailand’s wildlife- much of which was dependent on tourism for survival. As a result, the Cabinet on Tuesday approved a budget of 435.3 million baht to reduce the impacts of wildlife on people. The budget was requested by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.…

  • Thailand NewsBaby elephants killed by electric fence in Chantaburi

    Baby elephants killed by electric fence in Chantaburi

    2 baby elephants have apparently been electrocuted in the Tha Mai district of the eastern province of Chanthaburi, near the Cambodian border, when they touched an electric fence put up by an orchard owner to keep foraging animals out. A local police officer said he would summon the orchard owner for questioning about the electrified fencing. Authorities are awaiting the…

  • ExpatsBritish expat petitions government to help desperate elephants, handlers

    British expat petitions government to help desperate elephants, handlers

    The closure of elephant camps and sanctuary-style tourist attraction throughout the northeastern provinces has left thousands of elephants facing starvation. Some have made the long march back to their home villages, where their arrival is creating more problems than it solves. Susan Field, a British citizen living in Koh Samui, yesterday presented a petition with nearly 65,000 signatures to the Thai…

  • Northern Thailand NewsMassive elephant migration causes problems in the North

    Massive elephant migration causes problems in the North

    The Covid-19 crisis has shuttered elephant camps across Thailand’s North and Northeast, most of which relied primarily on tourist revenue. Now around 1,000 elephants, threatened by starvation, have journeyed through the hills of northern Thailand, making a slow migration to their homes. For many of the animals, home is the village of Huay Pakoot in Chiang Mai province, where generations…

  • Thailand NewsThailand News Today – Thursday, May 7

    Thailand News Today – Thursday, May 7

    Issan restaurant owner allegedly shoots wife, stepson, nephew A restaurant owner in Issan’s northeastern Maha Sarakham province has surrendered to police after allegedly shooting dead his wife and stepson. Police arrived at the scene to find the alleged shooter, a 31 year old, had locked himself inside. He reportedly fired a warning shot to discourage officials against getting too close.…

  • Covid-19 NewsHelping Thailand’s starving elephants whilst the tourists are away

    Helping Thailand’s starving elephants whilst the tourists are away

    PHOTO: A recent delivery of food to two elephant owners, ‘Rawang’ and ‘Chuslip’, who both had their elephants, Kornkow and Meatoy, leased to an elephant park in Khao Lak. Now they are having to care for the elephants themselves, and they were relieved and grateful to receive the food supplies. The Southern Thailand Elephant Foundation is helping to supply vital food to…

  • Phuket NewsEthical sanctuaries looking after over 250 elephants in southern Thailand

    Ethical sanctuaries looking after over 250 elephants in southern Thailand

    The Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, and elsewhere in Thailand, have been forced to close their doors in late March. As people around Thailand been hunkering down in our houses waiting for the virus outbreak to pass, some of the country’s elephants are suffering? As mentioned in the original story, Lek had been in touch with camps from all over…

  • Environment NewsChiang Mai firefighters chased up a tree by wild elephants

    Chiang Mai firefighters chased up a tree by wild elephants

    Firefighters in Thailand’s North were chased up a tree by a herd of elephants yesterday. The group were on patrol searching for fires in Chiang Mai province’s Omkoi district. The men told reporters they were patrolling for fires when they ran across a small herd of wild elephants. Fearing for their safety, the fled up a nearby tree and stayed…

  • Environment NewsPotential catastrophe facing Thailand’s elephant camps

    Potential catastrophe facing Thailand’s elephant camps

    Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, along with many other camps in Thailand, have been forced to close their doors due to the current Coronavirus situation in Thailand. Apart from resulting in hardship for the elephants, it will seriously hurt Thailand’s tourism industry in the future if no support is forthcoming soon. And whilst we’re hunkering down in our homes…

  • Things To DoTop 10 things to avoid in Thailand

    Top 10 things to avoid in Thailand

    You’ll be spoiled for choice during your visit to Thailand. There is SO much to do. But there are a few things that may be worth avoiding, despite being available, during your time in the Land of Smiles. So, in The Thaiger’s opinion, don’t… 1. Swim at the southern Andaman beaches in the low season Every year about 50 or…

  • Northern Thailand NewsTop 10 rules to avoid an elephant squishing your car

    Top 10 rules to avoid an elephant squishing your car

    PHOTO: Khaosod English After the video of a bull elephant sitting on a car whilst it was trying to drive through Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima went viral, officials have come up with 10 rules to follow when confronted by a wild elephant who has an unnatural attraction to your car. The 35 year old tusked elephant, Duea,…