Wild Elephant Kills Rubber Tapper in Brutal Attack

Pictures courtesy of Kaoded.

A wild elephant from the Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary has killed a 66-year-old rubber tapper in a horrific attack, the second such fatal incident in Chachoengsao province this month.

The victim, identified as Mr Abdulloh Kariya, originally from Raman district in Yala province, had been working as a hired labourer tapping rubber in Tambon Tha Takiap, Tha Takiap district. On the evening, shortly after 18:00, locals heard the distinctive trumpet of a wild elephant coming from a nearby rubber plantation.

When Mr Abdulloh’s daughter and grandson went to investigate, they discovered his body lying face down in the plantation. Witnesses reported that the elephant had trampled him with such force that his skull was shattered and his body pressed deep into the earth. Pieces of his body, bone and brain matter were scattered across the ground.

The victim’s grandson attempted to carry him towards the main road, some 300 metres away, but collapsed in grief and exhaustion before reaching it.

Local officials and rescue teams arriving at the scene confirmed that the attack had been exceptionally violent. Mr Thaloengsak Khemmonta, the village headman of Moo 13, explained that wild elephants from Ang Rue Nai have been entering villages almost nightly, destroying rice fields and rubber plantations. Community patrols have been organised to drive the elephants back into the forest, but the efforts have not been enough to prevent incidents.

Just three weeks earlier, on 6 August, another villager was killed in a similar incident in nearby Sanam Chai Khet district. Both fatalities have been linked to elephants roaming out of the vast Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary, a forested area spanning five eastern provinces, Chachoengsao, Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Sa Kaeo.

Residents remain on edge as encounters between humans and elephants in the area continue to escalate.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Kaoded 2025-08-25