Six years of elephant attacks in Thailand kill 135 and injure 116

[webfact]

 

135 people have been killed and 116 injured by wild elephants in the past six years, including 27 deaths in the first nine months of this year alone, according to the Office of Wildlife Conservation Information of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

 

Dr. Supakit Vinitpornsawan, director of the office, attributed the attacks to the increased population of wild animals and increasing occasions when elephants venture out of their habitats to forage for food.

 

He said that there are 3,000-4,000 wild elephants scattered across 38 national parks and 31 wildlife sanctuaries in Thailand, covering an area of 52,000 square kilometres. The number of elephants in the wild should not be considered as too many, but their numbers may outgrow some of their habitats and feeding grounds, he added.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/six-years-of-elephant-attacks-in-thailand-kill-135-and-injure-116/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-09-17

 

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[Geoffggi]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The number of elephants in the wild should not be considered as too many, but their numbers may outgrow some of their habitats and feeding grounds, he added.

In other words there will soon be too many wild elephants .............

[sammieuk1]

They are at the home of out of control psychopathic killers no wonder the nelly's go barking ????

[SAFETY FIRST]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

135 people have been killed and 116 injured by wild elephants in the past six years

I'd say elephants are a good judge of character. 

 

I reckon most of those that were killed probably deserved it. 

 

[vandeventer]

Dr. Supakit said that key reasons why elephants leave their habitats to search for food include water and food shortages. So if we feed them more and give them more water problem solved? Soon we will have just humans on the planet.

[smedly]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

135 people have been killed and 116 injured by wild elephants in the past six years

just as well they don't have wheels

[mania]

Wow the elephants here drive as badly as the locals ????

 

Joking aside I had no idea this many were killed by wild elephants

[lujanit]

If humans keep encroaching on the elephants natural habitat things are going to get ugly.  The elephants are only protecting what is theirs.

[Thingamabob]

Too many people, everywhere. The planet is already overloaded with humans. Wild life of any kind will soon be gone. People go on and on about global warming, climate change, the ozone layer etc etc, but over-population seems to be a subject about which any discussion is forbidden.

[Tropposurfer]

Me thinks this story is loaded with truncated statistics 

 

[Eleftheros]

14 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I reckon most of those that were killed probably deserved it.

That takes win, place and show for the silliest comment of the week.

 

In my district of Eastern Thailand, four people have been torn to shreds by elephants this year, two of whom were rubber tappers working at night, another was a peasant who accidentally got near to a female elephant's young, and the fourth was a monk surprised at prayer by a rogue animal.

[arithai12]

1 hour ago, Eleftheros said:

That takes win, place and show for the silliest comment of the week.

 

In my district of Eastern Thailand, four people have been torn to shreds by elephants this year, two of whom were rubber tappers working at night, another was a peasant who accidentally got near to a female elephant's young, and the fourth was a monk surprised at prayer by a rogue animal.

Maybe, but your examples confirm his point.

The rubber tappers were presumably in a forest inhabited by elephants.

The peasant annoyed the mother elephant accidentally, but still he annoyed her.

The monk, was he praying inside a temple or in the middle of a forest?

 

The thing is, how do you tell an elephant that it should stay within some territory? And that that territory is shrinking all the time?

 

I also find the article incomplete, if it doesn't mention how many elephants were killed by humans in the same period, be it for ivory, for expanding farming activities, hit by trucks, overworked to death.

[2 is 1]

Hypocrite people shout here, let elephant be in peace. Many of them maybe live nice life in some skyscraper in BKK, they hug only tree what see in own palcony. They opinion is give nature space, but dont watch mirror ! That place where they live has been wild nature place also! They can live in "concrete jungle" but normal farmers should not disturb elephant's! I have experience what elephants do when one herd attack in Mrs. rubber farm. And those elephant's are not wild life "free " elephants! Those elephants was growing in people's home for tourist purpose. People let those free in mountain coz they dont had enough money to feed them. Those elephant's place is not there where farmers work, place where never have been elephant's before!

Not all is only black and white! Definitely not in Thailand news!

[bobandyson]

When Kenyans have elephants intrude onto the tea plantations they rope the area off. The rope dipped in engine oil seems to deter the elephants. Harmless, cheap, safe and eco friendly.

[SAFETY FIRST]

6 hours ago, Eleftheros said:

In my district of Eastern Thailand, four people have been torn to shreds by elephants this year

Like I said, I reckon elephants are a good judge of character. 

 

Your stories don't phase me, I read lots of fiction here by members

[Orinoco]

3 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Like I said, I reckon elephants are a good judge of character. 

Think your right about that, and they don't forget. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgi8btUZhLg

 

 

[ezzra]

Idle chat, nothing will be done about it as the elephant in a national symbol and was depicted on the 3 successive flags of the kingdom of Siam's before the current stripy flag...

[mikebell]

On 9/17/2022 at 7:08 AM, mania said:

Wow the elephants here drive as badly as the locals ????

 

Joking aside I had no idea this many were killed by wild elephants

How many are killed by wild dogs?

[metisdead]

A spelling police post has been removed.

[arithai12]

On 9/18/2022 at 12:48 AM, 2 is 1 said:

....

And those elephant's are not wild life "free " elephants! Those elephants was growing in people's home for tourist purpose.

....

I think this says a lot. First they want the elephant to make money with the tourists, then they kick them out when no tourists. And the elephant should stay away somewhere of course.

Who's the hypocrite again?

[Lacrimas]

They are wild animals, not dogs, treat them as such and no problem 

[Photoguy21]

The deaths of the people involved are tragic but they probably wanted to get a photo with the elephant for Tik-Tok and thought it was a good idea to approach them. Elephants and not cuddly animals and if there are young with them stay well away.

[Thunglom]

On 9/16/2022 at 11:54 PM, Geoffggi said:

In other words there will soon be too many wild elephants .............

No - there is room for any more elephants...Asian elephants are endangered, there population in Thailand was in tens of thousands....in the early 20th century there were thought to be around 300,000 wild elephants in the forests of Thailand. The problem is with Thailand's (and their neighbours') attitude to wildlife. They don't understand the need for functioning eco-systems and believe they can encroach on undeveloped land and use it for whatever they want. There is very little effort made to restrict development and this just increases conflict between man and beast.

 

PS - there is a concern that for economic reasons people may be releasing some captive elephants into the wild - this is NOT a good idea, they don't have the same fear of humans and don't necessarily integrate with wild elephants, they are more likely to go to human inhabited areas in search of easy food.

 

whatever the case, there are systems in action around the world for cohabitation with wild elephants - in Thailand? Hardly heard of!

[2 is 1]

4 hours ago, arithai12 said:

I think this says a lot. First they want the elephant to make money with the tourists, then they kick them out when no tourists. And the elephant should stay away somewhere of course.

Who's the hypocrite again?

Yeah but we not grow that elephant to come wipe out our farm! Same reason every place is full soi / wild dogs, you think those belong also in nature!? 

[jak2002003]

Seems no one cares.

 

Would be sensible to work out some elephant repellents...such as non lethal electric fencing.  Also educate the local people how to act around elephants. 

 

Most people are killed when they try to frighten the elephants away by shouting, chasing them with fire, or start shooting at them, so the animals response aggressive in self defence.

 

I saw an interesting video on how, in Africa,  farmers are keeping elephants away from their crops  by having bee hives around the fields.. apparently elephants are afraid of bees...of getting stung, so they stay away....plus the bees are good for pollinating the crops and provide extra income to farmers from the honey they make..