An elderly man tragically lost his life after being fatally trampled by a wild elephant that strayed into his garden in search of food.
Noi Songkroh, 79, was inspecting his vegetable patch when he noticed the large animal feasting on a banana plant he had cultivated in his central Thailand garden.
As darkness fell, Noi used a flashlight to survey his crops and spotted the unexpected visitor. Startled by the light, the elephant charged towards him, resulting in a fatal trampling.
Neighbors in the Prachinburi province witnessed the harrowing incident on September 25 and promptly contacted wildlife officials for assistance.
Authorities arrived at the scene around 1 am and discovered Noi’s body buried in the mud. Traces left by the elephant indicated its passage through a series of homes before the fatal encounter, with only the bananas attracting it to Noi’s garden.
Family members, including his son Pichet Songkroh, 53, have received Noi’s remains and are making arrangements for his funeral. Following the tragedy, they are urging authorities to address the issue of elephants entering their village to prevent such incidents in the future.
Pichet emphasized the importance of officials taking action to resolve the elephant problem and ensure the safety of the villagers, stressing the need for proactive measures to prevent further tragedies.
This incident is not an isolated case in Thailand, as demonstrated by a recent fatality involving a 66-year-old farmer attacked by a wild elephant while working in the rubber plantation.
With an estimated population of 4,000 to 4,400 wild elephants in Thailand, encounters leading to elephant attacks are not uncommon. However, conservation efforts have contributed to a decrease in such incidents, despite the declining elephant population due to habitat loss, poaching, and human conflicts.
Human Elephant Voices highlights the primary causes of human-elephant conflicts, attributing them to habitat loss, encroachment on elephant territories, and resulting changes in elephant behavior, leading to conflicts and damages, particularly to farmers’ crops.
Between 2012 and 2018, Thailand recorded 107 incidents of human-elephant conflict, resulting in 45 fatalities and 30 injuries, underscoring the ongoing challenges in coexisting with these majestic creatures.