Thailand – A man who was forcing his elephant to work in extreme heat was killed by the animal, who apparently lashed out because of the high temperature. According to sources, 32-year-old Supachai Wongfaed was sliced in half when his elephant, Pom Pam used his tusk to slash the man.
Wongfaed was making Pom Pam haul rubberwood as the thermometer climbed to near 90 degrees.
Duncan McNair, the CEO of the charity Save The Asian Elephants told Newsweek:
“[It] is yet another stark reminder that Asian elephants are and always remain wild animals that can attack and kill when they are abused or overly stressed by humans. They suffer deeply, psychologically as well as physically, when broken and forced into constant severe toil in logging and related activities.
The elephant was still standing over the body of the man who was killed when officials arrived. The animal had to be sedated in order for responders to access Wongfaed. According to reports, the elephant was transferred to the care of a rehabilitation facility.
(Stock images via Pixabay)
