16-year-old Student Killed By Elephant In Pathum Thani

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16-year-old student killed by elephant in Pathum Thani

PATHUM THANI - An eleventh grader was killed by a circus elephant after he fetched water for the mammal.

The student, Ong-arj Nakkhiew, 16, died on the way to the Krung Siam St Carlos Hospital.

Police said the student went to practice for his school marching band at the Samkhok School in Samkhok district.

The elephant was tied to a tree behind the school waiting to participate in a show in the evening.

The student fetched water for it but the elephant, apparently irritated by the heat, attacked him with its trunk and stomped on him and gored him.

The mahout later led the elephant to flee the scene.

-- The Nation 2010-05-07

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[andrew55]

Wow. Shocking. My Thai wife is not exp w/elephants, but relating the tragedy to her interrupted me before I got to the hot bit of the article to say the beast must have been very hot to do this. A lesson. So sad to a student who was obviously concerned with the elephants welfare. God, Buddha, Allah bless the students soul. If there is merit to be earned in a life this person gets it.

[frodo]

I feel for the family and the young boy.

As expected the owner flees. TIT

RIP

[Tanaka]

A case of the common mistreatment of elephants in Thailand? I doubt very much this would have happened, had the animal had shadow, enough food and water to drink and the opportunity to cool itself by splashing water every now and then. But some mahouts don't seem to care. Completely unnecessary death of a young person, who was only trying to assist the elephant. The mahout should be prosecuted with manslaughter.

[chrgrims]

totally agree, tanaka. very sad story.

[Oxow]

A case of the common mistreatment of elephants in Thailand? I doubt very much this would have happened, had the animal had shadow, enough food and water to drink and the opportunity to cool itself by splashing water every now and then. But some mahouts don't seem to care. Completely unnecessary death of a young person, who was only trying to assist the elephant. The mahout should be prosecuted with manslaughter.

I completely agree. Elephants are often seen a gentle giants, but they're as dangerous as any wild animal.

[Thongkorn]

A lot of Elephants are drugged with yabba, maybe it was just having a bad day, Elephants are not gentle giants they are wild animals, go on You tube and put in Elephant attack, the poor student was just doing what most people may do and it cost him his life,,