800kg Gaur Found Dead, Drowning Suspected
An 800-kilogram male gaur, a protected species, was found dead in a waterway outside Kuiburi National Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan. A necropsy showed no signs of poaching, disease, or trauma, but revealed lung hemorrhages and water in the airways consistent with drowning. Park authorities have been directed to develop measures to prevent similar incidents.
On November 11, 2026, Nithat Nunsong, Director of the Protected Areas Administration Office (PAAO) 3, Phetchaburi Branch, reported that Kuiburi National Park Chief Pongsiri Thammarukrit received a report of a gaur carcass floating in water outside the park boundaries in Moo 2, Ban Thung Kled, Sala Lai Subdistrict, Sam Roi Yot District, Prachuap Khiri Khan. A team of veterinarians and staff from the Huai Sai Wildlife Breeding Station, PAAO 3 Phetchaburi, inspected the carcass and site. The protected male gaur, aged 8-15 years and weighing approximately 800 kg, underwent necropsy. Results showed no wounds in the mouth, tongue, nose, or head; no foot-and-mouth disease lesions on hooves; no fight injuries, bruising, or lumpy skin disease. Internal organs (liver, heart, kidneys) showed no disease, but lungs had hemorrhages and fluid, with blood foam in lung tissue and trachea, and large amounts of water in the esophagus. Metal detector scans found no metal fragments. Veterinarians collected liver, lung, and heart samples for further analysis. The cause of death is suspected to be drowning. Officials agreed to bury the carcass per protocol within the park, and the park chief was ordered to implement preventive measures, with Assistant Chief Napphon Akkhamanee assigned to file a daily log report with Sam Roi Yot police investigators.
