Elephant in Musth Kills Woman, 71, in Surat Thani
A captive elephant in musth attacked a pickup truck in Surat Thani's Kiri Rat Nikhom district, killing a 71-year-old woman who fell while fleeing. Three people were in the vehicle when the elephant charged; the other two escaped unharmed. The elephant was later captured in an oil palm plantation, and police are pursuing legal action against the owner.
A captive elephant in musth charged a pickup truck in Kiri Rat Nikhom district, Surat Thani, killing a 71-year-old woman. Three occupants fled the vehicle in panic, but the elderly victim fell while escaping and was fatally attacked by the elephant.
On November 14, Pol. Lt. Preeda Sukson, investigator at Kiri Rat Nikhom Police Station, disclosed that on the evening of November 13, police received a report of a rampaging elephant killing a person near a house in Tha Khanon subdistrict. Officers, along with Pol. Col. Supakit Prayurabutr, station chief of Siri Than Nikhom, a duty doctor, and Kiri Rat Nikhom rescue workers, rushed to the scene.
They found the body of Mrs. Bunlom (surname withheld), 71, lying face up, wearing a sarong and a plaid shirt, with severe wounds from the elephant attack. The body was sent to Kiri Rat Nikhom Hospital for autopsy. A damaged Toyota pickup truck with a Bangkok license plate was also found at the scene.
Investigation revealed the elephant belonged to Mr. Suchat (surname withheld), a former village headman, who had tethered it about 500 meters from the incident site.
Mr. Malai (surname withheld), 67, the victim's husband, said his wife, Ms. Wipharat (surname withheld), 52, had driven the pickup to collect kathin ceremony offerings at Mr. Siriphong's house, with Mr. Malai in the back seat and the victim in the front passenger seat. Suddenly, the elephant charged the front of the vehicle, prompting all three to jump out and flee.
The victim ran toward the nearby house, fell, and was caught by the elephant, which mauled her to death before fleeing into an oil palm plantation. Authorities coordinated with wildlife conservation officers, village heads, and locals to track the elephant, finally locating and securing it around 11:00 p.m. Legal proceedings will follow.
