Minister Orders Urgent Care for Rescued Baby Elephant
A baby elephant found grieving its dead mother in Chanthaburi's Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary has been rescued and moved to the Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Breeding Station. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Surachat Chomklin ordered close monitoring of the calf's recovery and a thorough necropsy to determine the mother's cause of death. The calf is eating and moving normally, and officials are planning for its eventual return to the wild once fully healthy.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Surachat Chomklin has ordered the Department of National Parks to closely monitor a rescued baby elephant after it was safely transferred to the Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Breeding Station in Chanthaburi. The calf was found wandering near its dead mother in Moo 6, Ban Bo Bok Pun, Pawa Subdistrict, Kaeng Hang Maeo District, Chanthaburi Province, within the Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, through Conservation Area Administration Office 2 (Sri Racha), successfully moved the calf to the breeding station in Soi Dao District late on November 1, 2026, for health rehabilitation and close welfare protection.
After receiving a situation report from Department Director-General Yongyut Nakviroj, Minister Surachat emphasized that staff must strictly follow academic principles and animal welfare standards. Heavy rain and volatile weather in the area posed risks of complications and disease transmission, necessitating urgent transport in a specialized temperature-controlled vehicle to get the calf under veterinary care as quickly as possible. Regarding the mother's death, the minister ordered veterinarians to conduct a thorough necropsy to establish the exact cause. For the calf, once veterinarians confirm no dangerous diseases and injuries have healed normally, they will consider a safe release back into the wild.
The calf is recovering well from sedation, is alert, has begun exploring its surroundings, is eating provided food, and defecating normally. Meanwhile, breeding station staff have reinforced the quarantine enclosure to prevent hazards and are prepared to respond after detecting wild elephant vocalizations in the area responding to calls. Veterinarians have also collected blood samples for laboratory analysis to assess the calf's health in detail.
Next steps include a meeting today, November 2, at 3:00 PM, attended by Phitak Yingyong, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Division, along with the Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Breeding Station chief, breeding station veterinarians, Conservation Area Administration Office 2 veterinarians, the Khlong Kru Wai Wildlife Sanctuary chief, and the Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary chief. They will jointly determine health care guidelines, nutritional management, and husbandry adjustments to prepare for the calf's eventual release back into the wild when its physical condition is ready.
