Injured wild elephant may have died after anesthesia by vet

A wild elephant died this week. Presumably the same elephant that killed two tappers from a rubber plantation in September. The animal was shot in the leg. Whether poisoning of the wound is the cause is still under investigation.

To return the animal to a forest in Khao Ang Lua Nai, the Pha Yum sub-district, the jumbo had to be sedated first. This was done under the supervision of a veterinarian from Pattaya and experts from Nong Nooch Tropical Garden. However, the effect was minimal, so that again an anesthetic was administered twice. The elephant was then loaded onto a truck and taken to the forest in Rayong. The recent rainfall made the road impassable and the elephant was unloaded. A GPS tracker was placed on the animal in the hope that the animal would move into the forest.

However, the elephant did not move and by morning the animal was given a saline solution. Only after six hours did the elephant stagger to its feet and walk to a nearby pond. Local residents brought the animal food. This lasted for several days until the jumbo could no longer get out of the pond on its own. It was then decided to pump out the water so that the elephant could not drown. In the end, the elephant still died.

The animal was moved to the side with an excavator and loaded onto a large truck, and the elephant was then taken to the Ban Seeraman Forestry Unit in Khao Chamao. The cause of death is being investigated there.

Before the elephant was taken away, a "ceremony" was held. Veterinarians and park managers placed flower garlands on the animal and sprinkled it with holy water.

Source: Pattaya Mail