Berserk elephant kills mahout, runs away with Chinese tourists on its back

[webfact]

Berserk elephant kills mahout, runs away with Chinese tourists on its back

CHIANG MAI: -- A bull elephant went berserk, killing its mahout and running away with a Chinese family on its back.

The incident happened late today at an elephant camp in Mae Wang district of Chiang Mai as a tour coach dropped a group of Chinese tourists at the camp for a jungle tour on elephant back.

As the mahout identified as Surachai Dangpumipak, 40, was helping a Chinese family of three members on to the back the 25-year-old bull elephant for a jungle tour, the elephant went berserk, trying to throw the tourists off its back.

The mahout then intervened and tried to calm it down.

With no success, the elephant turned on the mahout and gored him to death with its tusks.

Other tourists seeing the incident then ran for their lives.

The crazy elephant ran into the jungle with the family on its back.

Police and local authorities were alerted and were out to find the elephant.

The fate of tourists on its back is still unknown.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/berserk-elephant-kills-mahout-runs-away-with-chinese-tourists-on-its-back


-- Thai PBS 2015-08-26

[webfact]

Three Chinese tourists rescued after elephant goes berserk in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai - A Chinese couple and their three-year-old son were stuck on the back of a male elephant for over three hours after it killed a mahout and went berserk.

The three tourists were rescued at 12:10 pm after another mahout, who used to raise Plai Somjai, rode a female elephant to calm its down and climbed to ride it back to the stand for tourists to mount and get down from elephants.

Witnesses said Plai Somjai became angry and shook its head widely after it spotted a mahout who allegedly used to hurt it. Surachai Daenphumpak, the mahout who was riding the elephant, fell down and was gored to death before the elephant ran freely along a river in Chiang Mai’s Mae Wang district.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Three-Chinese-tourists-rescued-after-elephant-goes-30267473.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-26

[peterjackson]

I'm surprised there aren't more stories like this. Wild animals should not be kept in captivity. They should be viewed with caution, but in their natural environment. No doubt, this was in the name of conservation. A euphemism for money making exploitation.

[Thailand]

Dreadful experience for the family.

[MrBrilliant]

Well seeing the treatment these mahouts dish out with them revolting hooks they use, I'm on the Elephant's side.

Glad the family are safe mind you...Hopefully another nail in the coffin of this pointless 'trade'

[Kannikapor88]

Pure exploitation of elephants, nothing else, all in the name of greed ...

[roamer]

I'm surprised there aren't more stories like this. Wild animals should not be kept in captivity. They should be viewed with caution, but in their natural environment. No doubt, this was in the name of conservation. A euphemism for money making exploitation.

If you want to see elephants then best place is the Elephant Conservation Centre near Lampang, a Royal sponsored project. A magnificent park with expert handlers and vets who do a great job with abandoned and injured elephants.

[peterjackson]

I'm surprised there aren't more stories like this. Wild animals should not be kept in captivity. They should be viewed with caution, but in their natural environment. No doubt, this was in the name of conservation. A euphemism for money making exploitation.

If you want to see elephants then best place is the Elephant Conservation Centre near Lampang, a Royal sponsored project. A magnificent park with expert handlers and vets who do a great job with abandoned and injured elephants.

I have been twice. The second time was to see if the conditions /treatment seen on my first visit, was a one off bad day. It wasn't. I was not impressed in the least. I must admit, they have good P. R. though.

I did view them in their natural habitat in the Tsavo National Park outside Mombasa Kenya. Magnificent experience.

[zaphod reborn]

This is a good news story. Sorry, but exploitation of endangered animals is wrong. The mahout got his just deserts for using his skills in an unethical manner. The Chinese family deserved to be frightened, for engaging in an activity which exploits the endangered animals and funds their further exploitation. I wish this story would just scare away other tourists, so this industry eventually disappears.

[MESmith]

This is a good news story. Sorry, but exploitation of endangered animals is wrong. The mahout got his just deserts for using his skills in an unethical manner. The Chinese family deserved to be frightened, for engaging in an activity which exploits the endangered animals and funds their further exploitation. I wish this story would just scare away other tourists, so this industry eventually disappears.

And what do you suggest they do with all the elephants?

[khwaibah]

This is a good news story. Sorry, but exploitation of endangered animals is wrong. The mahout got his just deserts for using his skills in an unethical manner. The Chinese family deserved to be frightened, for engaging in an activity which exploits the endangered animals and funds their further exploitation. I wish this story would just scare away other tourists, so this industry eventually disappears.

And what do you suggest they do with all the elephants?

Ship them off to the Surin Elephant Festival so they can really get abused by TAT.

[chingmai331]

Elephants are endemic to T'land. Let them be free.

[orang37]

This is a good news story. ... The mahout got his just deserts for using his skills in an unethical manner.

Schadenfreude.

[Denim]

Well , I guess they won't be interested in a trip to the tiger temple any time soon.

[FolkGuitar]

Pure exploitation of elephants, nothing else, all in the name of greed ...

Elephants are endemic to T'land. Let them be free.

My condolences to the family of the mahout. That's a rough way to die.

But let's look at this 'exploitation,' 'greed,' and the idea of freeing the elephants to roam around Thailand....

Chiangmai331, are you going to give up your home so the elephants can roam freely? Do you suppose your neighbors will? After all, the land your homes are built upon were once jungle that supported the wild elephant population. Perhaps we can bulldoze down all the moobans that now line the various Ring Roads, raze the shopping malls and re-plant grass lands so the elephants can feed in their natural habitats once more. Hell, we don't need highways or even dual-carriageways, so lets rip them up as well. After all, elephants aren't going to obey stop lights for safe crossing... Are you beginning to see some problems with just letting the elephants run freely?

Kannikapor88, will you please pay the veterinary bills for the elephants? Elephants don't need more than a few dollars a day for food, so could you please pay for that as well... of course multiplied by several hundred elephants currently residing in Elephant Camps. After all, if the tourists aren't paying money (which buys the elephant's food and pays veterinary bills,) someone certainly has to. As we've already seen, thanks to the urbanization of Thailand, there is just no place that can naturally support these several hundred elephants in the wild.

Back in the day, elephants used to earn their own wages in the timber industry. Animal activists decided that this was cruel, and managed to get it stopped. Somehow it's fine for a water buffalo to drag a plow all day, or an Ox to drag a cart, but cruel for an elephant to drag a tree... OK... I don't need to understand the logic, but I can certainly understand the results. Someone has to pay to feed the elephants. It's rather like the Pro-Life people saying 'we have a duty to save the unborn babies, but no obligation to feed them after they are born...'

Someone has to pay. For food. For medical care. For space. Elephants can't take care of themselves any more because of what WE did to their habitat. So who do you suggest pays now?

Edited August 26, 2015 by FolkGuitar

[HooHaa]

August doesn't seem to be a good month to be chinese in thailand.

[canuckamuck]

If they would quit using bull elephants, this would be a rare news item.

[Kannikapor88]

Pure exploitation of elephants, nothing else, all in the name of greed ...

Elephants are endemic to T'land. Let them be free.

My condolences to the family of the mahout. That's a rough way to die.

But let's look at this 'exploitation,' 'greed,' and the idea of freeing the elephants to roam around Thailand....

Chiangmai331, are you going to give up your home so the elephants can roam freely? Do you suppose your neighbors will? After all, the land your homes are built upon were once jungle that supported the wild elephant population. Perhaps we can bulldoze down all the moobans that now line the various Ring Roads, raze the shopping malls and re-plant grass lands so the elephants can feed in their natural habitats once more. Hell, we don't need highways or even dual-carriageways, so lets rip them up as well. After all, elephants aren't going to obey stop lights for safe crossing... Are you beginning to see some problems with just letting the elephants run freely?

Kannikapor88, will you please pay the veterinary bills for the elephants? Elephants don't need more than a few dollars a day for food, so could you please pay for that as well... of course multiplied by several hundred elephants currently residing in Elephant Camps. After all, if the tourists aren't paying money (which buys the elephant's food and pays veterinary bills,) someone certainly has to. As we've already seen, thanks to the urbanization of Thailand, there is just no place that can naturally support these several hundred elephants in the wild.

Back in the day, elephants used to earn their own wages in the timber industry. Animal activists decided that this was cruel, and managed to get it stopped. Somehow it's fine for a water buffalo to drag a plow all day, or an Ox to drag a cart, but cruel for an elephant to drag a tree... OK... I don't need to understand the logic, but I can certainly understand the results. Someone has to pay to feed the elephants. It's rather like the Pro-Life people saying 'we have a duty to save the unborn babies, but no obligation to feed them after they are born...'

Someone has to pay. For food. For medical care. For space. Elephants can't take care of themselves any more because of what WE did to their habitat. So who do you suggest pays now?

Totally disagree ... just like with Zipliners its your opinion that its okay for thais to do anything to make Money no matter how dangerous it is to tourists ... Amazing Thailand indeed

I hope this story + video I saw on thai news this afternoon spread World wide - personally I will do it in my homecountry so less tourists will risk their life on these rides ...

[annabel]

Dreadful experience for the family.

No just a good lesson for stupid ignorant tourists encouraging these dreadful tourist abusive camps ...Hope all these poor elephants can eventually rebel so this shit stops !

[Torrens54]

Pure exploitation of elephants, nothing else, all in the name of greed ...

Elephants are endemic to T'land. Let them be free.

My condolences to the family of the mahout. That's a rough way to die.

But let's look at this 'exploitation,' 'greed,' and the idea of freeing the elephants to roam around Thailand....

Chiangmai331, are you going to give up your home so the elephants can roam freely? Do you suppose your neighbors will? After all, the land your homes are built upon were once jungle that supported the wild elephant population. Perhaps we can bulldoze down all the moobans that now line the various Ring Roads, raze the shopping malls and re-plant grass lands so the elephants can feed in their natural habitats once more. Hell, we don't need highways or even dual-carriageways, so lets rip them up as well. After all, elephants aren't going to obey stop lights for safe crossing... Are you beginning to see some problems with just letting the elephants run freely?

Kannikapor88, will you please pay the veterinary bills for the elephants? Elephants don't need more than a few dollars a day for food, so could you please pay for that as well... of course multiplied by several hundred elephants currently residing in Elephant Camps. After all, if the tourists aren't paying money (which buys the elephant's food and pays veterinary bills,) someone certainly has to. As we've already seen, thanks to the urbanization of Thailand, there is just no place that can naturally support these several hundred elephants in the wild.

Back in the day, elephants used to earn their own wages in the timber industry. Animal activists decided that this was cruel, and managed to get it stopped. Somehow it's fine for a water buffalo to drag a plow all day, or an Ox to drag a cart, but cruel for an elephant to drag a tree... OK... I don't need to understand the logic, but I can certainly understand the results. Someone has to pay to feed the elephants. It's rather like the Pro-Life people saying 'we have a duty to save the unborn babies, but no obligation to feed them after they are born...'

Someone has to pay. For food. For medical care. For space. Elephants can't take care of themselves any more because of what WE did to their habitat. So who do you suggest pays now?

Agree with you One Hundred Percent.

People are full of noble clap-trap.

They simply don't think it through, I would hope your comments put at least a few of them on the right track but I doubt they'll take any notice and just carry on with their unrealistic waffle.

[oldsailor35]

Is it really a safe industry ? I went to the Nam Muang Elephant camp on Samui today ( looking for some manure for my compost) Saw some very large and probably old Elephants. Many were shackled at the ankles. Why do this if there is no danger ? I wonder what the Mahouts know .

Edited August 26, 2015 by oldsailor35

[roamer]

I'm surprised there aren't more stories like this. Wild animals should not be kept in captivity. They should be viewed with caution, but in their natural environment. No doubt, this was in the name of conservation. A euphemism for money making exploitation.

If you want to see elephants then best place is the Elephant Conservation Centre near Lampang, a Royal sponsored project. A magnificent park with expert handlers and vets who do a great job with abandoned and injured elephants.

I have been twice. The second time was to see if the conditions /treatment seen on my first visit, was a one off bad day. It wasn't. I was not impressed in the least. I must admit, they have good P. R. though.

I did view them in their natural habitat in the Tsavo National Park outside Mombasa Kenya. Magnificent experience.

Apples & Oranges. Thailand does not have the space that Kenya does. As for conditions, it's a regular port of call for UK vet students and zoo vets. One of their vets is currently doing a research project at the Royal Veterinary College in London. Good PR doesn't impress such people. Maybe you are one of those that think it is unnatural to watch an elephant "paint", or bow for tourists. In that case maybe you can come up with a better way of stopping highly intelligent animals from living a life of utter tedium.

[craigt3365]

I'm surprised there aren't more stories like this. Wild animals should not be kept in captivity. They should be viewed with caution, but in their natural environment. No doubt, this was in the name of conservation. A euphemism for money making exploitation.

This does happen on a regular basis. But many times doesn't make it into the English news. I saw it happen one time in Samui. Driving down the road and the elephant just took off into the jungle with the tourists on it's back. Had to been super scary for them.

As for the elephants in this camp, many are taken from the wild in Burma, all to help the demand at elephant camps. There are some taken from the wild here in Thailand, but estimates of the number of wild elephants left are very low. The main problem for elephants is encroachment. And has a lot to do with slash and burn techniques used here.

Many tour companies have taken elephant rides of their agendas. It's a massive and complex problem. But stopping the rides will stop the abduction of baby elephants from the wild. Where it's not unusual to have to kill the mother to get the baby.

Very good article:

http://expertvagabond.com/elephants-in-thailand/

One thing I just found out, much to my amazement, is elephants don't actually have strong backs. It's harmful to ride them. Who would have thought!

[fish fingers]

Thai people should stop pretending they like elephants

[Longtooth]

"An elephant never forgets!" Good AND bad.

[webfact]

Elephant takes revenge on mahout



CHIANG MAI: -- The 30-year-old bull elephant that gored a mahout to death after he fell from its back at Phutawan elephant camp in Mae Wang district of Chiang Mai today went wild because it saw another mahout who had abused it, according to investigation by Mae Wang police and witness accounts.

The bull elephant, Plai Somjai, was taking a Chinese tourist family of three on a jungle tour along the canal at the Phutawan camp in the morning.

As the mahout, Surachai Dangpumipak, 40, was riding Plai Somjai along the stream with the Chinese family on its back, it suddenly went angry after seeing another mahout identified as Lek standing in the water.

The elephant had been earlier abused by the mahout when it was under his care.

Plai Somjai then rushed towards the mahout to attack him.

Surachai who was riding on its back with the family tried to control it but accidentally fell from its back.

Lek managed to run away from the scene but Surachai couldn’t make it when he fell on the ground.

Plai Somjai then stepped on him and gored him to death with its tusks, amid the shocked family on the back.

After killing the mahout, Plai Somjai ran away with the family on its back.

Camp workers were alerted and later they called in local authorities for help to calm down the elephant.

It took them more than three hours before they could calm down the elephant and brought it back to the elephant camp.

Authorities said Plai Somjai was calmed down when a former mahout named Klui who was with Plai Somjai a long time since it was young but resigned to work at another elephant camp was called in to help control the elephant.

Klui rode on the back of another female elephant to approach Plai Somjai and slowly calmed it down.

Klui then climbed over its back from the back of the female elephant and directed Plai Somjai back with the Chinese family on its back safely to the camp.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/elephant-takes-revenge-on-mahout

-- Thai PBS 2015-08-27

[webfact]

Jumbo kills mahout, runs off with tourists
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- An elephant in a rut killed its mahout yesterday before fleeing with a Chinese family of three on its back. After three hours of staying in a wooded area of Chiang Mai's Mae Wang district, the elephant was located and the tourists were rescued.

Mahout Surachai Daenphumphak, 24, was killed by the elephant at 9am along the riverside near the Phu Tawan Elephant Camp in Tambon Mae Win.

Police and rescue workers found the elephant, 30-year-old Plai Somjai, a kilometre from the scene with the three tourists still on its back. They cleared the area to make way for an expert with a tranquiliser gun to subdue the elephant.

At around noon, another mahout was brought in to calm the elephant down and remove the tourists off its back. The three were taken to Mae Wang Hospital and treated for exhaustion.

Witnesses said Plai Somjai became agitated when it spotted a mahout who had hurt it. It shook violently, causing Surachai to fall, and ran towards the other mahout, stomping on Surachai and fatally stabbing him with its tusk in the process. The three tourists were perched on its back for the duration.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Jumbo-kills-mahout-runs-off-with-tourists-30267538.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-27

[elektrified]

"Witnesses said Plai Somjai became angry and shook its head widely after it spotted a mahout who allegedly used to hurt it."

Speaks volumes....

[FolkGuitar]

My condolences to the family of the mahout. That's a rough way to die.

But let's look at this 'exploitation,' 'greed,' and the idea of freeing the elephants to roam around Thailand....

Chiangmai331, are you going to give up your home so the elephants can roam freely? Do you suppose your neighbors will? After all, the land your homes are built upon were once jungle that supported the wild elephant population. Perhaps we can bulldoze down all the moobans that now line the various Ring Roads, raze the shopping malls and re-plant grass lands so the elephants can feed in their natural habitats once more. Hell, we don't need highways or even dual-carriageways, so lets rip them up as well. After all, elephants aren't going to obey stop lights for safe crossing... Are you beginning to see some problems with just letting the elephants run freely?

Kannikapor88, will you please pay the veterinary bills for the elephants? Elephants don't need more than a few dollars a day for food, so could you please pay for that as well... of course multiplied by several hundred elephants currently residing in Elephant Camps. After all, if the tourists aren't paying money (which buys the elephant's food and pays veterinary bills,) someone certainly has to. As we've already seen, thanks to the urbanization of Thailand, there is just no place that can naturally support these several hundred elephants in the wild.

Back in the day, elephants used to earn their own wages in the timber industry. Animal activists decided that this was cruel, and managed to get it stopped. Somehow it's fine for a water buffalo to drag a plow all day, or an Ox to drag a cart, but cruel for an elephant to drag a tree... OK... I don't need to understand the logic, but I can certainly understand the results. Someone has to pay to feed the elephants. It's rather like the Pro-Life people saying 'we have a duty to save the unborn babies, but no obligation to feed them after they are born...'

Someone has to pay. For food. For medical care. For space. Elephants can't take care of themselves any more because of what WE did to their habitat. So who do you suggest pays now?

Totally disagree ... just like with Zipliners its your opinion that its okay for thais to do anything to make Money no matter how dangerous it is to tourists ... Amazing Thailand indeed

I hope this story + video I saw on thai news this afternoon spread World wide - personally I will do it in my homecountry so less tourists will risk their life on these rides ...

I can appreciate your distaste for the way some people will make money. But if you have taken away the elephant's work (by shutting down the logging industry) just how do YOU suggest that they can be fed and cared for. Freeing them into the wild isn't an option any longer. The Sanctuaries are a wonderful situation, but they can only take in a handful of animals, not all that need care. Or are you suggesting that the excess elephants should just be killed to reduce the numbers?

My condolences to the family of the mahout. That's a rough way to die.

But let's look at this 'exploitation,' 'greed,' and the idea of freeing the elephants to roam around Thailand....

Chiangmai331, are you going to give up your home so the elephants can roam freely? Do you suppose your neighbors will? After all, the land your homes are built upon were once jungle that supported the wild elephant population. Perhaps we can bulldoze down all the moobans that now line the various Ring Roads, raze the shopping malls and re-plant grass lands so the elephants can feed in their natural habitats once more. Hell, we don't need highways or even dual-carriageways, so lets rip them up as well. After all, elephants aren't going to obey stop lights for safe crossing... Are you beginning to see some problems with just letting the elephants run freely?

Kannikapor88, will you please pay the veterinary bills for the elephants? Elephants don't need more than a few dollars a day for food, so could you please pay for that as well... of course multiplied by several hundred elephants currently residing in Elephant Camps. After all, if the tourists aren't paying money (which buys the elephant's food and pays veterinary bills,) someone certainly has to. As we've already seen, thanks to the urbanization of Thailand, there is just no place that can naturally support these several hundred elephants in the wild.

Back in the day, elephants used to earn their own wages in the timber industry. Animal activists decided that this was cruel, and managed to get it stopped. Somehow it's fine for a water buffalo to drag a plow all day, or an Ox to drag a cart, but cruel for an elephant to drag a tree... OK... I don't need to understand the logic, but I can certainly understand the results. Someone has to pay to feed the elephants. It's rather like the Pro-Life people saying 'we have a duty to save the unborn babies, but no obligation to feed them after they are born...'

Someone has to pay. For food. For medical care. For space. Elephants can't take care of themselves any more because of what WE did to their habitat. So who do you suggest pays now?

Agree with you One Hundred Percent.

People are full of noble clap-trap.

They simply don't think it through, I would hope your comments put at least a few of them on the right track but I doubt they'll take any notice and just carry on with their unrealistic waffle.

Many times the 'do-gooders' have the right motivations but simply no real knowledge of the situation or the results of their actions.

Case in point: In the Chesapeake Bay areas of Maryland and Virginia, the animal activists managed to get a law passed to stop leg-hold trapping of fur-bearers. Noble idea, but the result was a 700% increase in Rabies outbreaks among the animals, and a 300% increase in Human-contracted Rabies. The scientists managed to get the law repealed and the Rabies cases dropped back to the pre-law figures. Sometimes, just 'wanting to do the right thing' isn't the best option. Hearts are in the right place, but lacking the facts about the methodology to implement it correctly.

Edited August 27, 2015 by FolkGuitar

[anon467367354]

this is the key to the whole screw up:

Witnesses said Plai Somjai became angry and shook its head widely after it spotted a mahout who allegedly used to hurt it.

They don't forget do they?