Elephant's tusks cut after fatal tourist attack
Samrit Jiamjarernporn
The Nation

AYUTTHAYA: -- Tusks of a 27-year-old elephant in the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal have been cut after the beast attacked tourists on Saturday, killing a woman.

The elephant palace's owner Laithongrien Meephan said he would fully support the attacked tourists and warned visitors to refrain from getting close to animals without a mahout's supervision or at night.

A rite to trim Plai Ngam's metrelong tusks by 20 centimetres was held Monday after the beast on Saturday evening attacked a Saraburi couple, killing the wife and injuring the husband's leg.

Laithongrien said the rite was to free the slain person's spirit that remained with the elephant after it had killed someone.

Releasing the spirit would teach the beast a lesson about what it shouldn't do because elephants are large mammals with the ability to think, he said. After the rite, Plai Ngam would be chained in a corral indefinitely.

Saying he was sorry for what happened, Laithongrien said Plai Ngam was a goodnatured elephant that never harmed anyone before.

As the incident took place in its den, it might have thought the tourists wanted to harm it, Laithongrien said.

-- The Nation 2013-05-27

A rite to trim Plai Ngam's onemetrelong tusks by 20cm was held Monday after the beast, on the evening of May 25, attacked a Saraburi couple, killing the wife and injuring the husband's leg.

Which still leaves a few tons of deadly animal with a proven unsafe temperament...

Retire the poor thing to pasture some place. It's clearly not fit for public service.

So if the tusks had been 20 cm shorter at the time of the attack, the victim would have survived??

Again it has been proven, that those beautiful and intelligent animals, should not be kept in captivity for our entertainment !

So if the tusks had been 20 cm shorter at the time of the attack, the victim would have survived??

Again it has been proven, that those beautiful and intelligent animals, should not be kept in captivity for our entertainment !

did you read the whole article ,, if you did ,you will find it has nothing to do with that they do that to " free the spirit of the victim "

<deleted>, they're practicing sharia law for elephants now?

I doubt that the elephant attacked the couple for no reason, an elephant is not a pet and it could kill you with or without his tusks.

What were the couple doing in its den unsupervised anyway?

So if the tusks had been 20 cm shorter at the time of the attack, the victim would have survived??

Again it has been proven, that those beautiful and intelligent animals, should not be kept in captivity for our entertainment !

did you read the whole article ,, if you did ,you will find it has nothing to do with that they do that to " free the spirit of the victim "

So comforting to know that the people in charge of these multi-ton animals with huge tusks believe in this mumbo-jumbo.

Releasing the spirit would teach the beast a lesson about what it shouldn't do because elephants are large mammals with the ability to think, he said. After the rite, Plai Ngam would be chained in a corral indefinitely

'Teach the beast a lesson'? Perhaps he's pissed about being locked in a den... if anyone needs to be taught a lesson (and to THINK) it is the humans in charge, as usual.

"Releasing the spirit would teach the beast a lesson about what it shouldn't do because elephants are large mammals with the ability to think, he said. After the rite, Plai Ngam would be chained in a corral indefinitely."

Maybe the elephant is more intelligent than Laithongrien Meephan, the owner of "the beast".

better to shoot the poor creature than what he suggests.

Sometimes i wonder............no, T.I.T.

I am beggared yet again.

An elephant is a wild animal not a tourist ride.

I suggest castrating the mahout and park owner to teach them a lesson and get rid of "bad spirits". What a crock of sh!t about the "slain person's spirit staying with elephant". Great excuse to make some money and I am curious who will receive the money from the two cut off horns? Anyone want to bet it won't be the husband?

Ingenious way to get round the ivory ban. Prepare to see more mad beasts once the profitability of this catches on.

I feel sorry for the couple, but on the other hand i also feel sorry for the elephant, it should not be put in a den/prison...

It's science based solution

Witch Doctor Approved...

So if the tusks had been 20 cm shorter at the time of the attack, the victim would have survived??

Again it has been proven, that those beautiful and intelligent animals, should not be kept in captivity for our entertainment !

did you read the whole article ,, if you did ,you will find it has nothing to do with that they do that to " free the spirit of the victim "

So comforting to know that the people in charge of these multi-ton animals with huge tusks believe in this mumbo-jumbo.

Said by someone quoting mumbo-jumbo from Ayn Rand

With what little I know about elephants, I suggest that the animal did not attack without reason. It is a rather stable animal that is very happy left alone and gives plenty warning if something is amiss. What did the woman do? Did she become hysterical? What do visitors do in such a place if they do not like elephants?

Where where the tourist from?

Where where the tourist from?

Read the article.........Saraburi

So we cut 20cm from the tusks & the elephant will know that the spirit of the deceased is 'released' & then lock the animal up.

Translation: We'll pretend to do something so we can carry on using these wonderful animals to make money.

Just sickening.

I wonder what happened to the ivory.

Elephants get stressed out, and may attack people without warning. Tusks are a nice way to finish off your average sized tourist, but they can just as easily grab you with their schnozzola and slam you to the ground. Typically, elephants then enjoy crushing the hapless victim by exerting an awesome amount of weight and power with their forehead. Many film clips of this behavior are available. I definitely do not enjoy walking dowh the streets of some towns in Thailand and getting tapped on shoulder (late at night and rom behind) by one of these creatures. Quite shocking to turn around and be at the mercy of a beast of this size, and his rather smallish trainer. Its ok, on the other hand, if its late at night and the elephant is pink or polka-dotted. Then its fun.

Whenever I see an elephant, I think what a terrible waste of 4 good umbrella stands. Avoid any animal that could do you an awful lot of damage in a very short time if it was having a bad day.

Elephant + Jungle + Freedom = Solution

Sorry, I'm not a fan of "indefinitely chaining" an animal in a corral. They belong in the jungles or on a reserve.

I found nothing in the Thai press about the incident. The press here self-censor and considering this elephant's status, journalists would be reluctant to print any story without an official press release. So this is it, the press release. Tusks cut, all sorted now, move on please, nothing to see here. Very Thai style, love it or hate it.

Its like living in la la land in the medievel ages isnt it!! Chaining it?? yeah that'll help I'm sure it wont go crazy being chained up all day.

"Laithongrien said the rite was to free the slain person's spirit that remained with the elephant after it had killed someone.

Releasing the spirit would teach the beast a lesson about what it shouldn't do because elephants are large mammals with the ability to think, he said. After the rite, Plai Ngam would be chained in a corral indefinitely."

Some OTT nonsense posts have been removed. You might reconsider some of your comments when you look at this part of the elephant park name:

Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal

How much are those 20cm of tusks in China?

Speaking from my rather limited experience, although I worked on an elephant reserve here when I was a student [many years ago now]. The elephants I grew to know and love are highly intelligent mammals and, unless a bull hasn't been getting his end away lately, very passive. An elephant with no previous record of violent behaviour is unlikely to attacked humans with a good [in his/her mind] reason. What was the woman and husband doing? We'll never get to know, but a penny to a pound they were up to no good.

As for some of the comments made by all TV Elephant experts [one wonders why you all haven't written books on the subject] how do you think the elephant sanctuaries and reserves are funded? . In the main the elephants are very well treated at the tourist parts of the reserves and, in the main, are both loved by and love their mahouts.

"Releasing the spirit would teach the beast a lesson about what it shouldn't do because elephants are large mammals with the ability to think, he said."

Yeah, that will teach him! And if not then give him a timeout for 10 minutes.

Imagine spending your life being dictated to by a bunch of greedy idiots who are allowed to treat you badly whilst even bigger fools look on. I'm sure many intelligent Thais can understand this.

And so can the elephants.