Wellknown one-tusk elephant killed, believed electrocuted, in pineapple plantation

A 30-year old bull elephant wellknown among villagers in Tambon Pluang Thong of Chon Buri’s Bo Thong district for its single ivory tusk and shortened tail was killed, believed electrocuted, at a pineapple plantation in Village Two of Tambon Pluang Thong on Sunday(Apr 15).

Officials of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation based in Si Racha district were alerted of the jumbo’death by villagers in Tam,bon Pluang Thong and a team was immediately sent to the scene to investigate.

Mr Yu Senatham, head of the Si Racha office, said officials had collected samples of vital organs of the dead elephant to be sent to the department’s laboratory for examination to determine the cause of its death.

But he said he suspected the elephant was electrocuted and a complaint would be lodged with Bo Thong police to look for the perpetrator.

A one-minute clip posted in the social media by officials of Ang Runai wildlife sanctuary after Sunday’s tragedy shows the animal of being friendly and good- tempered and a familiar figure in Chon Buri and Rayong.

Meanwhile, an informed police source said that the elephant’s trunk was badly burned, suggesting that it was electrocuted. He said that the elephant was found dead about 100 metres from the burial site of another jumbo which was electrocuted on March 25.

 

A guard of the pineapple plantation where the dead elephant was found on Sunday, identified as Samin Chansamut, 45, was arrested by the police allegedly for discharging electricity into the barbed wire fence of the plantation which killed the elephant on March 25.

The case against him is still pending in the court.

Officials suspected that Samin might be responsible for the Sunday’s death of the one-tusk elephant and would urge the police to look for him for interrogation.