Elephants are dangerous

Very sad, indeed.

Saw it on the news. Very sad.

It is difficult to inform every visitor in these parks on what to do whenever they encounter wild elephants.
By keeping distance and watching the animals behaviour it is usually easy to avoid any trouble.
Though with more traffic around, you can get into dangerous situations.

One other thing, I think I have once seen a video about people feeding wild elephants on a road in Kaeng Krachan, and I think it was not the main area. Could actually be the Pa-la-u area. Does anyone know if this is common practise there?

Its on the public highway/road to Pa La Lu - its outside the park, I have been just twice (Pa La Lu was just too touristy for me) and had encounters with elephants both times on the road - including one charging my car. There are probably a host of unreported incidents which have not been fatal.

A Karen woman has been killed in Thong Pha Phum after being caught between two sets of elephants in the Huay Khayen forest reserve ..........


www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1207172...h-by-angry-elephants

Sad to hear. How many fatalities on average per year in Thailand?
How unfortunate, running away from one herd and then running into a 2nd herd (or possibly just more members of the same herd that spread out?).
The herds are the most dangerous. A solitary male is much easier to avoid even though they might be more cranky... About 10 days ago we walked the Khao Hin Daeng trail in HKK and heard some movement in front of us. Nothing loud, I was hoping for/ expecting Phayre's Langur which sometimes is hangin' around in that same spot. Not a bad guess. It was indeed something grey with a tail that appeared in front of us, however a few tons heavier. She was calm. If a female you know you should expect more. But you always hope the rest is somewhere behind her. But whilst watching which way she would decide to go, suddenly there was some cracking from behind us, and shortly after also in a distance from our left. Hmmm, not a pleasant idea being right in the middle of a herd. Being patient and quiet worked. As the female made way for us and we could simply continue as usual. But it remains surprising how you just walk by some of them without knowing. That is the danger. They spread out, and are so quiet. Before you know it you are in the middle of it. There is really no way to know it. And then if you panic, or are unfortunate that some herd members move too close, then it could turn bad.
I haven't seen much herds while hiking in the jungle, and I prefer to keep it that way. IN the end there is a much higher chance to meet a solitary bull than to meet a herd. But make sure to know your escape routes.

There's another one this week from Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary -

"A villager was trampled to death by wild elephants while collecting wild produce with a friend in dense forest near the Khao Ang Ruenai Wildlife Sanctuary in Sanam Chaikhet district on Monday afternoon.................."

Full story here ................ www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1218610...ed-by-wild-elephants

www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1232779...-refugee-camp-worker


Another person killed by wild elephants - this time in Khun Khao Pawor National Park (just north of Mae Sot)