Elderly farmer killed by wild elephant at plantation
An elderly farmer was trampled to death by a wild elephant on a rubber plantation in eastern Thailand.
Samart Bodirat, 62, was tapping rubber trees with his son Ekkalak Hongorn when a tusker emerged from woodland in Chonburi province on June 21.
The terrified father and son fled in different directions as the elephant thundered towards them.
However, Samart was allegedly gored and trampled by the rampaging beast, while his son Ekkalak Hongorn managed to escape.
Ekkalak later returned to the plantation and found his father's mangled body lying beside fresh elephant tracks in the mud.
Police and rescue workers were dispatched to the area after being notified of the fatal elephant attack at around 11:30 am local time.
They found Samart's body was face-down some 200 metres (656 feet) from staff accommodation. He was wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt, brown trousers and rubber boots.
Police Captain Wachiraphan Charoenwai of the Nong Yai district station said Samart had suffered severe injuries consistent with being gored and trampled by an elephant.
He added: ‘The victim's son did not question the cause of death. We inspected the scene together with forestry officials and local authorities.
‘The body was taken to Nong Yai Hospital for a post-mortem exam to determine the exact cause of death for further legal procedures.'
Ekalak said he and his father went out before dawn to tap rubber at the plantation, where villagers frequently saw wild elephants roaming.
But when they arrived, they reportedly came across a herd and fled in different directions.
Ekalak said he and his father switched to working in the morning, when the elephants were less active, as they often felt uneasy when working at the plantation.
The grieving son said: 'My father was a good man. Why did that elephant have to be so cruel to him? He died without being able to say goodbye to his children and grandchildren. May he rest in a better place.'
Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.
As of 2024, there are an estimated 4,013 to 4,422 wild elephants in Thailand. The population has been increasing in recent years, but it is still a fraction of the estimated 300,000 wild elephants that lived in Thailand at the beginning of the 20th century.
The main threats to wild elephants in Thailand are habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and conflict with humans.
