Pineapple Farm Worker Gored by Banteng, Suffers Chest Injury

Pictures courtesy of Khaosod,

A 64-year-old man narrowly survived a violent attack by a wild banteng,  a species of bovine , while working as a caretaker on a pineapple farm in Kui Buri district, Prachuap Khiri Khan. The incident left him with a severe chest wound that pierced his lung.

Arun Chai Sommit, village headman of Moo 6, Hat Kham subdistrict, received a report from locals that a man had been gored by a banteng in the Hup Ta Wian area. He immediately coordinated with the Luang Por Nai Rescue Foundation at Kui Buri Temple to dispatch an ambulance.

Upon arrival, rescuers found that the injured man had already been brought from the farm by locals to a nearby house in Moo 7 before being transferred to the hospital. The victim was identified as Mr. Sompong, a resident of Ruam Thai village, who had been hired to guard the pineapple fields. He had suffered a large gaping wound under his right nipple, which had punctured his lung. Doctors provided initial treatment, placed him on a ventilator and transferred him to Prachuap Khiri Khan Hospital for further care.

Mrs. Somporn, a local resident and homeowner, who filmed the aftermath and assisted at the scene, described the moment she found Mr. Sompong lying injured on the ground. “We were preparing a 1,000-litre water tank to spray mango crops when farm workers alerted us that someone had been attacked by a wild banteng. We quickly contacted the rescue team and used our truck to reach him,” she said. Locals helped lift the injured man into the vehicle for transfer to the ambulance en route to the hospital.

Mrs. Somporn added that residents in the area often need to guard their fields at night against intrusions from elephants and banteng. The lack of mobile phone signal in the region makes emergency response difficult, often requiring long trips just to call for help. “If no other farm workers had come across him, he might not have survived,” she said, urging authorities to provide better communication networks for rural residents.

Reports indicate that villagers in Kui Buri have long suffered crop damage and disturbances from wild elephants. The increasingly aggressive behaviour of banteng poses additional risks.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-09-03