Eleven elephants have died after plunging from the top of a 200m waterfall in Thailand trying to save on of their young.
Five new bodies were discovered on Tuesday downstream of the Haew Narok Waterfall in the Khao Yai National Park in addition to the six found at the weekend, bringing the death toll to 11, including a three-year-old calf. Only two elephants in the herd are known to have survived the fall, wildlife officials said.
The elephants were trying to cross the river at the top of the cliff on Saturday when a strong current swept them over the edge of the waterfalls, officials at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said. The group died after trying to reach a calf who had already fallen from the cliff edge.
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Officials sent small drones into the area to investigate because the terrain is too rough for hiking, Nattapong Sirichanam, governor of Nakhorn Nayok province adjacent to the mountains, said.
“We flew drones at a height of 15 metres above the ground as we can’t walk in to confirm the deaths,” Mr Nattapong said.
“We assume that there were 13 elephants in this herd and two of them survived.”
One of the rescued elephants takes a bath in the morning at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Wildlife SOS is a conservation nonprofit organisation in India working for animal welfare, elephant conservation and care
EPA
A specialised ambulance designed to rescue elephants
EPA
Gajraj, who was rescued from an Indian royal family, walks inside the treatment area
EPA
Elephants are rescued from heartbreaking conditions in circuses, from street begging and from highway accidents
EPA
Gajraj arrives for his treatment
EPA
An elephant with the chronic foot disease and generalised infection
EPA
A worker hoses one of the rescued elephants
EPA
A volunteer feeds an elephant in the morning
EPA
One of the rescued elephants takes a bath
EPA
Tethering chains, iron hobbles and hooks, which were used to control captive elephants, on display
EPA
Gajraj takes a mud bath
EPA
Gajraj receives treatment at the hospital
EPA
One of the elephants enjoys a meal of fruit and vegetables
EPA
Senior veterinary officer Dr Yaduraj shows scans on the screen of a high-end X-ray device
EPA
Volunteers scrub down an elephant as it takes a bath
EPA
Rescued elephants at the hospital
EPA
According to a World Animal Protection data, there are more than 3,000 elephants still in captivity in India, used for the tourism and leisure industry, and many of them are in need of proper care and attention
EPA
One of the elephants receives medical treatment
EPA
A rescued elephant has a snack
EPA
A senior veterinary officer treats an elephant with chronic foot disease and generalised infection
EPA
One of the rescued elephants takes a bath in the morning at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Wildlife SOS is a conservation nonprofit organisation in India working for animal welfare, elephant conservation and care
EPA
A specialised ambulance designed to rescue elephants
EPA
Gajraj, who was rescued from an Indian royal family, walks inside the treatment area
EPA
Elephants are rescued from heartbreaking conditions in circuses, from street begging and from highway accidents
EPA
Gajraj arrives for his treatment
EPA
An elephant with the chronic foot disease and generalised infection
EPA
A worker hoses one of the rescued elephants
EPA
A volunteer feeds an elephant in the morning
EPA
One of the rescued elephants takes a bath
EPA
Tethering chains, iron hobbles and hooks, which were used to control captive elephants, on display
EPA
Gajraj takes a mud bath
EPA
Gajraj receives treatment at the hospital
EPA
One of the elephants enjoys a meal of fruit and vegetables
EPA
Senior veterinary officer Dr Yaduraj shows scans on the screen of a high-end X-ray device
EPA
Volunteers scrub down an elephant as it takes a bath
EPA
Rescued elephants at the hospital
EPA
According to a World Animal Protection data, there are more than 3,000 elephants still in captivity in India, used for the tourism and leisure industry, and many of them are in need of proper care and attention
EPA
One of the elephants receives medical treatment
EPA
A rescued elephant has a snack
EPA
A senior veterinary officer treats an elephant with chronic foot disease and generalised infection
EPA
“We are 100 per cent confident that two of them are alive as the officials saw them going out for food around the area of Haew Narok falls”, he continued.
Sompote Maneerat, spokesman for the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, said the death toll was the highest number of elephants to die in a single incident in Khao Yai.
Thailand has only about 3,500 to 3,700 wild elephants left nationwide, according to the department. The 2,000-kilometre-square Kao Yai National Park is believed to have around 300 wild elephants as well as other wildlife.
Now two major accidents have occurred there, Mr Nattapong said conservation officials are talking about building walkways over the falls or other solutions.
“We will try to find a way to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again,” he said.
Additional reporting by agencies