Wild elephant kills two Thais in rubber plantation rampage

[webfact]

Wild elephant kills two Thais in rubber plantation rampage
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- A wild elephant killed two Thai men in separate pre-dawn attacks today as they worked at a rubber plantation in eastern Thailand, police said.

The two rubber tappers, both in their forties and working some three kilometers apart, were killed at the plantation in Kang Hang Maew district of Chanthaburi province.

"We believe that the same elephant killed both victims based on its path," Lieutenant Sawai Chinwong from the local police station told AFP.

A third rubber tapper, a woman, suffered two broken legs after she was also attacked by an elephant at the same site as of one of the fatalities.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/10/30/wild-elephant-kills-two-thais-rubber-plantation-rampage


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2015-10-30

[ClutchClark]

Holy Cow.

So it is apparently quite difficult to escape an angry elephant.

That motorbike rider who prayed in front of that herd was quite fortunate, eh?

[bangrak]

Was that plantation maybe encroaching on a protected forest or national park?

[ChrisY1]

The elephants have had enough abuse......RiP the deceased, but elephants are wild animals.......let 'em roam!

[Alration]

The elephants have had enough abuse......RiP the deceased, but elephants are wild animals.......let 'em roam!

What abuse has the elephant in question suffered? There is no suggestion of abuse in this report and no restrictions were being put on where it went. This as about a single elephant that for some reason killed two people and attempted to kill another in three different locations. It was roaming.

[englishoak]

That Elephant will have had a very very bad experience at the hands of a Rubber plantation worker, possibly even narrowed down to a rubber tapper.

Its too specific every time and elephants recognise smells acutely and a rubber tapper would be pretty easy to smell out but mask his own personal smell, expect the animal is focusing on the tapped rubber as the bad memory and is attempting to take it out on the source of the smell... in this case workers.

I could be wrong but ive seen an elephant 5 years later attack a guy who had beaten him when young..

[kuiburi]

Most male elephants go in musth in the winter , don't know if themerature in chanthaburi dropped allready .

To the victims "travel well" to the injured "speedy recovery"

[dcutman]

The elephants have had enough abuse......RiP the deceased, but elephants are wild animals.......let 'em roam!

What abuse has the elephant in question suffered? There is no suggestion of abuse in this report and no restrictions were being put on where it went. This as about a single elephant that for some reason killed two people and attempted to kill another in three different locations. It was roaming.

Apparently serial killers come in other species other than humans? Just using your logic.

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Rogue elephant kills two rubber tappers in Chanthaburi

CHANTHABURI:-- Villagers in Tambon Khun Song Ngor of Kaeng Hang Maew district of Chanthaburi have been told today (Friday) not to venture out into rubber plantations after a rogue male elephant killed two rubber tappers and seriously injured another early today.

The two dead victims were identified as Mr Thaweeporn Puangkratoke,41, and Mr Meechai Puraput, 47. Both were rubber tappers.

Thaweeporn’s relative, Ms Ladawan Rosfung, told police that there were four of them, including the dead victim, tapping rubber in a rubber plantation in Kaeng Hang Maew district early Friday when out of a sudden an elephant emerged at the spot where the victim was tapping rubber.

She said she and the others fled in panic in different directions. But when they felt the jumbos were gone they went back to where they tapped the robber and found Mr Thaweeporn lying dead in a pool of blood.

The second victim, Mr Meechai, was in a rubber plantation about three kilometers away. The victim’s wife, Mrs Praison, who escaped unhurt told police that an adult elephant with long ivory tusks emerged from the wood and fatally attacked her husband. Another rubber tapper, Ms Bang-on Khaopo-ngam, was also attacked and was injured.

After being informed of the elephant attacks, Kaeng Hang Maew district officer Ranaschai Poomcharoen immediately consulted the Chanthaburi governor about declaring Tambon Khon Song Ngor a dangerous zone from elephant attacks.

In the meantime, villagers and rubber tappers were told to exercise extreme caution if they venture out to tap rubber at night.

A forest official said he suspected the rogue elephant which killed the two victims was the same one which attacked a pick-up truck three days ago. He said the elephant was dangerous and wild.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/rogue-elephant-kills-two-rubber-tappers-in-chanthaburi

-- Thai PBS 2015-10-31

[ggt]

An eye for an eye? Elephants revenging the deaths of their buddies?

[bangon04]

An eye for an eye? Elephants revenging the deaths of their buddies?

"A forest official said he suspected the rogue elephant which killed the two victims was the same one which attacked a pick-up truck three days ago. He said the elephant was dangerous and wild."

so the elephant will pay in the end.......already convicted by a Thai court...and probably sentenced to death

[Bigfarang1948]

That Elephant will have had a very very bad experience at the hands of a Rubber plantation worker, possibly even narrowed down to a rubber tapper.

Its too specific every time and elephants recognise smells acutely and a rubber tapper would be pretty easy to smell out but mask his own personal smell, expect the animal is focusing on the tapped rubber as the bad memory and is attempting to take it out on the source of the smell... in this case workers.

I could be wrong but ive seen an elephant 5 years later attack a guy who had beaten him when young..

As bad as raw latex smells, which is pretty much the same as horse poop, I marvel at the elephants nose discerning the human smell from the poop smell. Then again, as mentioned, these beautiful creatures have fantastic noses and pass on the scent of their enemies, or friends, to others in the herd by blowing their breath into the faces of the herd. They can recognize people who have helped them, and in other cases I suppose, who have hurt them, for a life time.