Tragedy: Two Wild Elephants Attack and Kill National Park Volunteer in Thab Lan

Two wild elephants from Thab Lan National Park attacked and killed a volunteer park ranger during a surveillance mission in the area. Officials believe a barking dog alerted the sleeping elephants, causing them to chase down and fatally attack the ranger before he could escape.

At 9:40 PM on May 2, 2025, Yosawat Thiersawat, director of the Protected Areas Management Office 1 (Prachuap Khiri Khan), received a report from Prawatsart Chanthep, head of Thab Lan National Park, that at approximately 6:00 PM, a rapid response team monitoring and managing wild elephants in the Thung Phi area reported a tragic incident. A volunteer park ranger and elephant management officer was killed by elephants while performing his duties.

Following the report, Somjai Buddhaseana, district officer of Nadi, along with Officer Alongkorn Phukhama from Nadi Police Station and rescue personnel from the Satchala Buddhism Rescue Foundation (Kabinburi District), rushed to inspect the scene at coordinates 47P 816884E 1562201N in the Khlong Din Daeng area, Thung Phi Subdistrict, Nadi District, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province.

At the scene, located in a bamboo forest along the edge of a national forest reserve adjacent to a rubber plantation, officials found the body of Tirichai Gamsun, 53 years old, a volunteer national park ranger (VNPK), lying supine with severely deformed arms and legs from blunt force trauma. Numerous elephant footprints surrounded the area, and nearby officials found a shoulder bag, radio, hat, and two water bottles belonging to the victim.

When questioned, Sompon Basala, 43, the victim's wife, tearfully recounted that her husband had left to tap rubber in the morning and had not returned by 3:00 PM. Concerned and noting he hadn't eaten breakfast, she went to search the rubber plantation and discovered around 4:00 PM that her husband had been killed by elephants. She immediately notified neighbors and authorities.

The Thung Phi elephant patrol unit analyzed evidence from the scene, finding sleeping areas of two wild elephants. They determined that before the incident, the victim had been surveying elephant tracks as part of his duties, accompanied by a dog. When they reached the spot where the elephants were resting, the dog barked aggressively at the elephants, startling and enraging them. The wild elephants charged and viciously attacked Tirichai, ultimately killing him.

The head of Thab Lan National Park expressed condolences to the victim's family and announced the park would expedite assistance and compensation according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation regulations. Officials have instructed rescue personnel to transport the body to Nadi Hospital for autopsy before returning it to the family for religious rites.