In the southern Thailand’s Phang Nga province late last week, an elephant violently attacked his mahout (handler) after working in high temperatures allegedly made the animal “go crazy.”
According to Nature World News, police arrived at a rubber plantation where witnesses stated the elephant had grown frustrated, overheated and tired in the 89 degree Fahrenheit temperatures while his mahout forced him to work hauling wood. The elephant, Pom Pam, stabbed his handler, Supachel Wongfaed with its tusks several times.
Pom Pam, a 20-year-old male Asian elephant, supposedly “went crazy” and after killing the man stood over the man’s body. Officials had to use a dart gun to sedate the elephant so they could remove the man’s body.
Incidents with elephants becoming violent is not a new situation. Another elephant in Nakhon Sri Thammarat province, also stabbed his handler to death in the past few months, after having been stressed from excessive work and heat. The practice of using elephants known as “logging elephants,” has been illegal in Thailand since 1989, yet it still continues in some areas of the country.
The charity, Save the Asian Elephants, reminds everyone that Asian elephants are wild animals and can attack and kill when they are being abused or overly stressed by humans.
It is not known what happened to Pom Pam.
(Photo not of Pom Pam. Photo via free images Pixabay)
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HOPE AND PRAY POM PAM IS OKAY!