A tragic incident at a national park in Thailand has claimed the life of a 65-year-old tourist after he was fatally trampled by a wild bull elephant. Officials from the park confirmed the unfortunate event occurred on Monday.
The incident unfolded during a morning stroll when the tourist, accompanied by his wife, encountered the elephant known as Oyewan at Khao Yai National Park. Park chief Chaiya Huayhongthong shared these details in a statement to AFP.
Park rangers responded swiftly, managing to scare Oyewan away, which provided the tourist’s wife a chance to flee to safety, Chaiya reported.
“This marks the third fatality attributed to Oyewan,” Chaiya noted, highlighting the elephant’s history of aggression. Authorities are set to convene on Friday to determine the best course of action regarding Oyewan.
The entrance to Khao Yai National Park, located in central Thailand, was captured in an image from December 2021, illustrating the park’s natural beauty. (Photo by Carola Frentzen/picture alliance via Getty Images)
“We are considering options such as relocating Oyewan or attempting to alter his behavior,” Chaiya stated, without delving into further specifics on the potential measures.
The tourist killed was identified as Jirathachai Jiraphatboonyathorn from Lopburi province, the Bangkok Post reported.
A Thai boy washes an elephant near the Khao Yai national park on March 19, 2017, in Pak Chong, Thailand. (Isa Foltin/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Khao Yai National Park but did not immediately hear back.
An elephant bull stands in the Ban Ta Klang elephant village in Surin, Thailand, on Nov. 14, 2015. (Ian Robert Knight/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Wild elephants have caused an estimated 227 human fatalities between 2012 and 2024 in Thailand, The Nation reported, citing a report from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation.
The elephant population in Thailand has ballooned since 2015, rising from 334 to nearly 800 last year, AFP reported. Authorities have been trying to manage the population by giving female elephants contraceptive vaccines.
