Phuket Elephant stomps mahout to death

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BREAKING: Phuket Elephant stomps mahout to death
Eakkapop Thongtub


Watched by the elephant Por, once again chained, the mahout's body is taken away

PHUKET: A mahout was crushed to death this morning in Phuket by his elephant.

This is the second killing by an elephant in a week. Another mahout was killed in Phang Nga on Sunday (November 16). Two tourists aboard that elephant spent a tense 30 minutes before the elephant, hit by tranqilliser darts, calmed down enough for them to be taken off.

This latest incident took place at Phuchada Safari in Chalong. The dead mahout was named as Wittawat Salangan, 22, from Surin Province

Lt Col Jamroon Plaiduang of Chalong Police told The Phuket News that Mr Wittawat was drunk and annoyed the elephant, which picked him up in its trunk, flung him to the ground and then him.

The elephant, named Por, also 22 years old, had been chained because he was in musth, a condition in which male elephants can become unpredictable and aggressive, and are normally keept away from people and other elephants.

But the owners felt that he had been chained long enough and told Wittawat to release him and get him ready for work.

Somehow Wittawat infuriated the giant animal, leading him to attack.

No tourists were involved.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/breaking-phuket-elephant-stomps-mahout-to-death-49713.php


-- Phuket News 2014-11-18

[siampolee]

Lt Col Jamroon Plaiduang of Chalong Police told The Phuket News that Mr Wittawat was drunk and annoyed the elephant, which picked him up in its trunk, flung him to the ground and then him.

Not the first time an elephant has taken a dislike to a drunken mahout..

The elephant, named Por, also 22 years old, had been chained because he was in musth, a condition in which male elephants can become unpredictable and aggressive, and are normally keept away from people and other elephants.

But the owners felt that he had been chained long enough and told Wittawat to release him and get him ready for work.

And yet again we see that the greed for money overrides any common sense the owners may have had.

Elephants are noble creatures and intelligent they should not be held in captivity and chained.

The Thai's are we are told supposed to revere elephants, well I dread too think what the alternative would be if they hated them.

Edited November 18, 2014 by siampolee

[terryp]

was drunk and annoyed the elephant,...................

[Lex Talionis]

Two tourists aboard that elephant spent a tense 30 minutes before the elephant, hit by tranqilliser darts, calmed down enough for them to be taken off.

No tourists were involved.

OK. I'll buy. Which one is it?

[khwaibah]

This can be added to the Surin Elephant Festival.

[delgarcon]

The last time I went out and got a bit elephants, it was the old lady that half killed me!

[delgarcon]

Two tourists aboard that elephant spent a tense 30 minutes before the elephant, hit by tranqilliser darts, calmed down enough for them to be taken off.

No tourists were involved.

OK. I'll buy. Which one is it?

Read the article again Lex, different elephants

[Briggsy]

Two tourists aboard that elephant spent a tense 30 minutes before the elephant, hit by tranqilliser darts, calmed down enough for them to be taken off.

No tourists were involved.

OK. I'll buy. Which one is it?

2 separate killings. One in Phang-Nga province, one in Phuket province.

[peterdarby]

The Thai's are we are told supposed to revere elephants, well I dread too think what the alternative would be if they hated them.

There doesn't seem to be any talk about putting the elephant down, which is probably what would happen to any captive animal in the UK that killed a man.

The elephants seem quite compliant generally, but they clearly have a limit to their tolerance - perhaps the Thais respect that.

[Guitar God]

If you can't tell if an elephant is in musth, you probably shouldn't be a mahout.

[falangjim]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Two tourists aboard that elephant spent a tense 30 minutes before the elephant, hit by tranqilliser darts, calmed down enough for them to be taken off.

No tourists were involved.

OK. I'll buy. Which one is it?

There were actually two elephant incidents that the writer is reporting. There was a story in TV yesterday about two Russian tourists atop an elephant that went mad and ran off with a father and an 8 year old girl into the woods. I think, if I recall correctly, the Thai mahout was stomped to death. Eventually, someone was able to shoot tranquilizer darts into the elephant while the tourists were still atop. And if that weren't enough, the young Thai daughter of the mahout was witness to her father's demise. Pretty grizzly. The story the writer is on about today is a similar story, but completely different players in a different locale.

Edited November 18, 2014 by falangjim

[craigt3365]

If you can't tell if an elephant is in musth, you probably shouldn't be a mahout.

Could be an issue of the boss making the mahout work the animal...all for a few baht.

Thailand needs to reform it's consumer protection laws.

[winnerinsix]

Waiting for the inevitable knee jerk elephant crackdown, by the government!!!

[Sviss Geez]

Two tourists aboard that elephant spent a tense 30 minutes before the elephant, hit by tranqilliser darts, calmed down enough for them to be taken off.

No tourists were involved.

OK. I'll buy. Which one is it?

Both. Two different incidents.

[bongoz]

Sorry ... but good on the elephant x2.

All elephants deserve to at least be in a nature reserve and 'protected' what ever 'protected' means in Thailand.

They have absolutely no place being tourist attractions!

[wooloomooloo]

Thailand needs to reform it's consumer protection laws.

...and its respect of animal welfare. I'm not holding my breath, though.

[arrowsdawdle]

Lt Col Jamroon Plaiduang of Chalong Police told The Phuket News that Mr Wittawat was drunk and annoyed the elephant, which picked him up in its trunk, flung him to the ground and then him.

Not the first time an elephant has taken a dislike to a drunken mahout..

The elephant, named Por, also 22 years old, had been chained because he was in musth, a condition in which male elephants can become unpredictable and aggressive, and are normally keept away from people and other elephants.

But the owners felt that he had been chained long enough and told Wittawat to release him and get him ready for work.

And yet again we see that the greed for money overrides any common sense the owners may have had.

Elephants are noble creatures and intelligent they should not be held in captivity and chained.

The Thai's are we are told supposed to revere elephants, well I dread too think what the alternative would be if they hated them.

They'd have to change their names to elefarangs.

[Suffinator]

Let me see .. how much sympathy do I have for the dead mahout ... that would be zero: another turd shuffles off his moral coil with no loss to humanity. As for the elephant he did the world a favour. I've see the way some of these mahouts treat the elephants often hitting them with spiked rods. This is a barbaric trade and should be stopped. Any foreigner engaging in such should be ashamed they fuel this evil so-called tourist attraction.

[glasswort]

Two tourists aboard that elephant spent a tense 30 minutes before the elephant, hit by tranqilliser darts, calmed down enough for them to be taken off.

No tourists were involved.

OK. I'll buy. Which one is it?

Read and engage brain before hitting the keyboard. These are two unrelated incidents being reported.

[Jim walker]

Drunk Thais can piss most people off as well but then again a pissed off elephant is a different kettle of fish well done to the elephants now they might take you back to the wild and release you into a nice forest reserve to spend your remaining years in freedom without some drunk on your back poking your ears with a metal hook all day.

[vogie]

Let me see .. how much sympathy do I have for the dead mahout ... that would be zero: another turd shuffles off his moral coil with no loss to humanity. As for the elephant he did the world a favour. I've see the way some of these mahouts treat the elephants often hitting them with spiked rods. This is a barbaric trade and should be stopped. Any foreigner engaging in such should be ashamed they fuel this evil so-called tourist attraction.

Som nam na

[slipperylobster]

Elephants getting even for all the attacks on tourists... ruining their careers

They might be the only ones protecting us now.

Edited November 18, 2014 by slipperylobster

[junk1e]

Ripped away from your mother when still a baby who was probably killed in front of you first, tortured to ensure servility, beaten with a spiked hammer every day, chained up when wanting sex. I think I might be a bit pissed off after 22 years of that. Note these mahouts are not like the traditional mahouts who were with their elephants for life, just young untrained kids brought down to handle them with probably little or no understanding of elephant behaviour but relying totally on their hammers.

Elephant numbers in Myanmar are being decimated by killing whole families to catch babies to smuggle into Thailand for the tourist trade. The real shame of this is the western tourists who fuel the demand.

[stevenl]

Ripped away from your mother when still a baby who was probably killed in front of you first, tortured to ensure servility, beaten with a spiked hammer every day, chained up when wanting sex. I think I might be a bit pissed off after 22 years of that. Note these mahouts are not like the traditional mahouts who were with their elephants for life, just young untrained kids brought down to handle them with probably little or no understanding of elephant behaviour but relying totally on their hammers.

Elephant numbers in Myanmar are being decimated by killing whole families to catch babies to smuggle into Thailand for the tourist trade. The real shame of this is the western tourists who fuel the demand.

Yes, some western tourists, but the main users of the elephant rides are the Russian, Chinese and Korean tourists, not the westerners.

[wilcopops]

Whether or not tourists were present, this is all part and parcel of a shoddy piece of Thailand's tourist industry.

Elephants were exploited for logging and other commercial purposes which are now no longer practiced - THANK GOD - but Thailand has a responsibility to look after these elephants in a humane manner and not leave them at the mercy of callous or untrained commercially motivated people. it's a national disgrace. The worst thing is that not content with treating retired elephants respectfully they are also quite happy to import NEW animals via breeding, smuggling or other nefarious methods to continue this mistreatment.

on every front of animal welfare Thailand is an utter disgrace.

[wilcopops]

Drunk Thais can piss most people off as well but then again a pissed off elephant is a different kettle of fish well done to the elephants now they might take you back to the wild and release you into a nice forest reserve to spend your remaining years in freedom without some drunk on your back poking your ears with a metal hook all day.

so we accept the police statement without question?

[KhnomKhnom]

Find me applauding the elephant. Anyone who gets on my back with a sharp hook will get crushed if I am able. Being an elephant, that makes him definitely able.

Go elephant !!!! Good job knowing your passengers were not your enemy oppressor.

[wilcopops]

Ripped away from your mother when still a baby who was probably killed in front of you first, tortured to ensure servility, beaten with a spiked hammer every day, chained up when wanting sex. I think I might be a bit pissed off after 22 years of that. Note these mahouts are not like the traditional mahouts who were with their elephants for life, just young untrained kids brought down to handle them with probably little or no understanding of elephant behaviour but relying totally on their hammers.

Elephant numbers in Myanmar are being decimated by killing whole families to catch babies to smuggle into Thailand for the tourist trade. The real shame of this is the western tourists who fuel the demand.

Yes, some western tourists, but the main users of the elephant rides are the Russian, Chinese and Korean tourists, not the westerners.

What a facile comment...even if your assertion is correct, it doesn't matter what nationality the tourists are, the elephants are still being exploited.

[wilcopops]

Find me applauding the elephant. Anyone who gets on my back with a sharp hook will get crushed if I am able. Being an elephant, that makes him definitely able.

Go elephant !!!! Good job knowing your passengers were not your enemy oppressor.

Passengers???? Of course they are! They are the ones financing this whole industry

[steven100]

was drunk and annoyed the elephant,...................

If there's one thing you shouldn't do when your drunk .... it's annoy an elephant

Edited November 19, 2014 by steven100