Parks officials locate animal after court order issued to stop damage to crops in Nakhon Si Thammarat
PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 19:03
NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: A wild elephant was finally captured in Nop Phi Tham district of this southern province on Saturday, 22 days after a court order was issued for authorities to have it relocated as it was disrupting the community.
A team from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) began the operation to track “Phlai Chao Nga” on Friday night.
A pair of captive elephants owned by Wiroj Supradit, a local mahout, helped to find Phlai Chao Nga, also known as Phlai Khai Nui, in the forest and bring it out so that it could be taken elsewhere.
Infrared drones, supported by the chief of Tha Sala subdistrict administrative organisation, Apinan Chaowalit, were also deployed for the operation.
After locating Phlai Chao Nga, the search team shot a tranquilliser drug into the beast.
Once it was calm, the elephant was tied to the two captive pachyderms and brought out of the forest. It was then sent to the Protected Areas Regional Office 5 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, which is now working on its relocation.
The Nakhon Si Thammarat Administrative Court issued the relocation order on July 21 after the elephant strayed from Tai Rom Yen National Park and began damaging local residents’ crops.
Phlai Chao Nga was said to have started wandering into a village in tambon Krung Ching looking for food in January 2022, leading to complaints that crops and farmland were being destroyed.
More than 100 local people’s livelihoods were affected by the elephant roaming around the area, according to the DNP.