One up for the good guys (the Dick Turpin of the elephant world)
This was happening not so very far from where we were looking out for the street elephants - just goes to show that instead of lying in bed feeling sorry for myself with my pillow over my head trying to block out the noise I should have been driving around a nearby forest with a truck full of sugarcane!
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| Wild elephants 'rob' trucks of sugar cane, tapioca
The difficulty of finding food during the dry season has driven a group of wild elephants from Chachoengsao's Khao Ang Rue-Nai Wildlife Sanctuary to resort to snatching sugar cane and tapioca from passing trucks, a local forestry official said Saturday. The Nation |
We read about this at the time we were attending our Mahout training at Anatara. It made us smile to think of which of the girls would have played a part had they stumbled across the opportunity themselves in Anatara with the Banana truck. Your ele's are incredible creatures and have touched our lives in a way they may never know and we will never forget. We will visit again I'm sure. Huge thanks to everyone at Anatara and specially Aoy the mahouts and the 2 new girls in our life Larwan and Watong.
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Unfortunately I think they all have a felonious streak when it comes to bananas - indeed I am glad you were there to provide them with an alibi.
Lawan is the serial pick-up attacker, but both she and Lynchee are more interested in looking at themselves in the mirror - once the mirror has been gently detached from the vehicle.
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PS. Victory for the good guys!
Road closing at night to frustrate freebooting elephants (Thailand)
MANIT SNUBBOON, Bangkok Post
January 18, 2007
Chachoengsao _ The road through Khao Ang Rue Nai wildlife sanctuary will be closed at night to stop wild elephants stopping and raiding cargo trucks. ''A herd of about 20 elephants frequently blocks the road and holds up cargo trucks until a bundle of sugarcane, tapioca or pineapple is tossed to them as a highway fee,'' Chachoengsao governor Arnont Promnart said yesterday.
Otherwise, the truculent animals would attack and damage the trucks, as happened on Jan 6.
Effective in the next few days, the 14.7km route No. 3259 through the park _ the Ban Nong Kog-Ban Wang Nam Phon road _ will be closed from 9pm to 5am to prevent further danger to travellers and wildlife.
Mr Arnont said the matter was urgent because during the dry season wild animals would cross the road to drink at the Phutai reservoir at night.
The governor acted on sanctuary chief Yoo Senatham's suggestion after the elephants' behaviour became worse, with two herds now involved in the pillaging at night.
Mr Yoo said he feared the elephants would get accustomed to being fed by travellers and that habit would put the animals and travellers at risk.
However, the raids are no longer limited to the night.
''Just today [Thursday], a big male elephant of over 1,000 kilogrammes stood in the middle of the road about 9am. On seeing a motorcycle coming, the animal fearlessly approached it,'' he said.
A special elephant-scaring team has been set up to prevent the elephants being hit by vehicles and attacking people.
The sanctuary foundation, chaired by former army chief Gen Pravit Wongsuwan, has put up roadside warnings and handed out 10,000 leaflets telling travellers to beware and to stop feeding the animals.
Over the past five years, three people and 14,408 wild animals have died in car accidents on route No. 3259. The 643,750 rai sanctuary spills into five provinces _ Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Chanthaburi, Sa Kaew and Prachin Buri
Article at the following link:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/19Jan2007_news16.php
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Melissa Groo
Save the Elephants News Service Researcher
For further information on elephants please see Save the Elephants' web site
at http://www.savetheelephants.org
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This Save the Elephants project is supported by the International Elephant Foundation.
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Elephant robs motorists in India
POSTED: 0631 GMT (1431 HKT), May 28, 2007
NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) -- An elephant in eastern India has sparked complaints from motorists who accuse it of blocking traffic and refusing to allow vehicles to pass unless drivers give it food, a newspaper reported on Monday.
The Hindustan Times said the elephant was scouting for food on a highway in the eastern state of Orissa, forcing motorists to roll down their windows and get out of the car.
"The tusker then inserts its trunk inside the vehicle and sniffs for food," local resident Prabodh Mohanty, who has come across the elephant twice, was quoted as saying.
"If you are carrying vegetables and banana inside your vehicle, then it will gulp them and allow you to go."
If a commuter does not wind down his window or resists opening the vehicle door, the elephant stands in front of the car until the driver allows him to carry out his routine inspection.
Forestry officials told the newspaper that the elephant is old and is therefore looking for easy food.
"So far, it has not harmed anybody," said Sirish Mohanty, a forest ranger working in the state.
"We are telling commuters regularly not to tease the elephant. But if people don't heed to our advice and harass the tusker, then it can retaliate."
Elephants are a protected and endangered species in India, which has nearly half of the world's 60,000 Asian elephants.
But conservationists say its population has fallen rapidly in recent years because of loss of habitat as a result of human encroachment into forest areas.
Best Regards,
Jason M. Friedman (Mr.)
Camp Manager
Four Seasons Tented Camp
Golden Triangle, Thailand
Post Office Box 18, Chiang Saen Office
Chiang Rai 57150
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Man trampled by wild elephants
From correspondents in Bangkok
December 31, 2007 05:47pm
Article from: Agence France-PresseFont
A HERD of wild elephants has killed one man and injured another in southern Thailand.
The Bangkok Post said two men from Burma's Karen ethnic group were riding a motorcycle near the southern beach resort of Hua Hin yesterday when they came across the elephants blocking the road.
They tried to go around the herd, the English-language daily said, but an elephant charged the motorcycle and they crashed into a ditch.
The pachyderms then trampled the two men.
The 19-year-old driver of the motorcycle escaped with injuries and hid in a bush until local villagers rescued him, the paper said, while the man named only as Bird died of head injuries and broken bones.
Thailand's total elephant population is nearly 5000, with up to 2000 of them living in the wild, conservation groups say.
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Elephants block road, kill man (Thailand)
CHAIWAT SATYAEM, Bangkok Post
December 31, 2007
Prachuap Khiri Khan _ A herd of wild elephants trampled a Karen man to death and injured his friend near a road in Hua Hin district yesterday.
The dead man was identified only as Bird.
He died of head injuries and multiple broken bones.
Haepo, 19, also a Karen, was treated in hospital for less serious hand and leg injuries.
Mr Haepo told police he was driving a motorcycle with Bird riding pillion. They were on their way home after a night out when they came across the elephants, which were blocking the Hua Hin-Ban Huay Satyai Pala-u road.
He said he tried to go around the animals but an elephant suddenly emerged from behind a nearby bush and charged at them.
As he tried to speed off to escape the attack, he lost control of his bike and it plunged into a roadside ditch.
The other elephants then joined in the attack, inflicting fatal injuries on Bird.
Realising that he could do nothing to help his friend, Mr Haepo ran to save his own life.
He took cover in the nearby woods until villagers came to his rescue.
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