A wild elephant attacked a tourist in a well-known national park in Thailand and fatally injured him.
02/03/2026, 06:3402/03/2026, 06:34
The attack occurred on Monday at a campsite in Khao Yai National Park, about 200 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, the Bangkok Post newspaper quoted a local ranger as saying.
A wild elephant in Thailand killed a camper. (symbol image)Image: www.imago-images.de
The 69-year-old victim was walking near his tent early in the morning when the elephant attacked him. According to the information, the Thai comes from a nearby province.
Elephant was in rut
The elephant, which the ranger said was in rut, is said to have previously killed two locals. He grabbed the man with his trunk, threw him to the ground and then kicked him. The victim died immediately.
Other campers watched the attack in complete horror – but did not dare to leave their tents for fear of the angry animal. Shortly afterwards, gamekeepers from the national park and the local police rushed to the scene of the accident and drove the elephant away. Authorities are now considering relocating the animal to a region as deserted as possible to prevent further attacks, local police chief Weerapol Rabiappho said.
Thailand’s national animal
Elephants are the national animals of Thailand. They are deeply revered and protected by law. According to WWF figures from 2023, only around 4,000 to 4,500 elephants remain in the wild in the kingdom. Above all, the massive loss of their habitat is causing problems for the pachyderms. Human-animal conflicts are becoming more and more common. Asian elephants are classified as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List (IUCN).
Established in 1962, Khao Yai National Park is one of the largest in Thailand and delights tourists from all over the world with jungles, waterfalls and a wealth of wildlife from elephants to gibbons to numerous exotic birds. The national park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005. (sda/dpa)