A Thai official said on Wednesday that an elephant killed its mahout (handler) in Thailand Wednesday before running away with three Chinese tourists on its back.
The male elephant was 20 minutes into a jungle tour, in the northern province of Chiang Mai, when it went berserk and attacked its mahout, goring him and killing him instantly.
“The mahout had just started his job three days ago so the elephant was unfamiliar with him,” Policeman, Col. Supote Jankieow, said.
The elephant was found three hours later with the tourists still trapped on its back.
“The tourists were rescued without any physical injury but were a little frightened,” Supote said.
According to Edwin Wiek of the Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand, the demand for elephants has skyrocketed due to rising numbers of tourists wanting elephant tours.
“As a result these elephants are working from 8:30 a.m. to sundown with no breaks. These incidents will likely continue until more is done to look after the welfare of these animals,” he said.
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