Perhaps solely in Thailand can an elephant be avoiding a court order for disturbing the peace. After 22 days on the lam, a wild elephant has been efficiently captured in the Nop Phi Tham district of the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The “elephant arrest” was made to adjust to a courtroom order issued to relocate it because of the animal’s continuous group disruption.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) initiated a comprehensive operation to locate and apprehend the wild elephant, named Phlai Chao Nga, on Friday night time.
Lending their expertise, a pair of captive elephants, owned by native mahout Wiroj Supradit, played a vital role in monitoring and extracting Phlai Chao Nga, also referred to as Phlai Khai Nui, from the forest.
To assist within Unexplained for the renegade wild elephant, infrared drones had been enlisted, supported by Apinan Chaowalit, head of Tha Sala subdistrict administrative organisation. Upon pinpointing Phlai Chao Nga’s location, the group administered a tranquilliser to subdue the problematic pachyderm.
Once sedated, the wild elephant was safely tethered to the 2 captive elephants and guided out of the forest. The elephant was subsequently transferred to the Protected Areas Regional Office 5 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, which is overseeing the upcoming relocation process.
The directive for relocation was issued by the Nakhon Si Thammarat Administrative Court on July 21, however it took several weeks to track down and take into custody the wild elephant. The decision was prompted by the large animal’s departure from Tai Rom Yen National Park.
It had wandered into native farming areas and subsequently inflicted significant crop damage on residents. The elephant initially entered tambon Krung Ching looking for sustenance in the wild in January 2022.
Its presence led to multiple complaints from villagers as crops and farmland incurred harm by being trampled and eaten by Phlai Chao Nga. As reported by the DNP, over a hundred local livelihoods have been adversely affected by the continuous motion of the roaming wild elephant within the area..