No plan to shut Khao Yai park but may impose passing restriction

[webfact]

No plan to shut Khao Yai park but may impose passing restriction



BANGKOK: -- The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation says it has no plan to shut Khao Yai national park but only has an idea to ban motorists from passing Khao Yai via Prachinburi province.

Nipon Chotiban, the director-general of the department, said that after the construction of a new road passing Khao Yai, the park is divided into two parts, thus forcing wild elephants living in the park to cross the road to look for food, particularly during the end of December to early January.

He said Khao Yai national park never had problem with wild elephants attacking visitors as they have no aggressive habits.


An Elephant charged a car on the road in Khao Yai National Park on Jan 10, 2015

He recalled the two incidents this month were caused by heavy traffic on the road which cut into the park passing their wandering areas during the New Year festival season.

Too much traffic might disturb wild elephants, he said, and added that this might also coincide with the mating season of wild elephant.

Visitors disobeying the park regulation might also be a cause to stimulate elephant attack, he said.

As a precaution to prevent further incident, he said park officials would be deployed along the 10-kilometre stretch of the road which cut into the park and is the elephant path to monitor the elephants closely.

He insisted that the department has no plan to shut the park but might ban tourists to drive into Khao Yai park using the Prachinburi road, or might restrict passing time as currently there are over 300 wild elephants in Khao Yai park.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/no-plan-shut-khao-yai-park-may-impose-passing-restriction


-- Thai PBS 2015-01-13

[doremifasol]

"People are so difficult. Give me an elephant any day".

Mark Shand

[SABloke]

''He said Khao Yai national park never had problem with wild elephants attacking visitors as they have no aggressive habits''

[Loles]

There are elephants those areas for thousands of years. They don't like Vios too much.

[SiSePuede419]

Closing the park to vehicle traffic sounds a bit drastic.

Afterall, the road is there so Thais who live cheek-to-jowl next to each other can get out and enjoy nature.

Why not put speedbumps every 50 feet?

Or better yet, overpasses for the elephants?

Edited January 13, 2015 by SiSePuede419

[webfact]

DNP to regulate cars in national parks

BANGKOK, 13 January 2015 (NNT) – The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) will be enforcing additional regulations to all vehicles entering the national park areas and parking spots to avoid confrontation with wild animals.

On the wild elephant issue at Khao Yai National Park, the Deputy Director-General of the DNP Thanya Netithammakun has stated Nakhon Ratchasima that the DNP is currently searching for the best method to reduce the risk of tourists' confrontation with wild elephants on the road in the national park.

Wild elephants were reported to have damaged tourists’ vehicles on the road in the Khao Yai National Park due to their stress as the increased traffic in the holidays has interfered with their herd's daily movements.

The DNP Deputy Director-General said that the DNP is considering a time frame regulation for vehicles in accessing the national park and the operating time of parking lots to ease traffic congestion that might block the routes where wild elephants usually take to cross the road, lessening the possibility of a confrontation.

There have been more than 261,000 cars and 21,000 motorcycles accessing the Khao Yai National Park every year, making it easy for visitors to come across wild animals that may also be crossing the road to access other side of the jungle.

She also said that the DNP must inform tourists on how to avoid confrontation with wild elephants and other wild animals in the national park, and install warning signs at risk spots.

The DNP has previously arranged the traffic regulation at the Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai where all visitor’s vehicles must be parked at the foot of the mountain and visitors must take the national park’s public transport service in order to access the mountain.


-- NNT 2015-01-13

[rickirs]

Nipon should also monitor park exists in case an elephant is able to sneak out on the top of a car.

The military could draft an elephant brigade to maintain law and order in the park. Any elephant raising three fingers will be in serious trouble.

[pacovl46]

How about building a few overpasses over the main road that separates Khao Yai and Tap Lan so animals can pass it without endangering themselves?!

[Gonsalviz]

How about building a few overpasses over the main road that separates Khao Yai and Tap Lan so animals can pass it without endangering themselves?!

You actually think the elephants would use them? My bet is that they go where they damn well please.

[JOC]

Nipon should also monitor park exists in case an elephant is able to sneak out on the top of a car.

The military could draft an elephant brigade to maintain law and order in the park. Any elephant raising three fingers will be in serious trouble.

in case an elephant is able to sneak out on the top of a car.

Like this??

[berybert]

Sorry any idiot who is unable to put his/her car in reverse when a wild elephant takes a fancy to it, gets what they deserve.