In the thick of the Huay Kum forest within the Kaeng Krachan district of Phetchaburi province, an intense encounter unfolded between two hunters and a team of forest rangers. The incident resulted in the wounding and subsequent arrest of the hunters as six grey langurs were found lifeless in their possession. Kaeng Krachan National Park chief, Somjate Janthana, recounted the gripping events on Tuesday.
The forest rangers embarked on their patrol in the Huay Kum forest, near Phu Sai, situated in the Moo 3 village of tambon Huay Mae Phriang. As the evening approached, the night was interrupted by the startling sound of gunshots around 7:30 pm. The rangers, fueled by adrenaline, quickly moved towards the source of the noise.
Upon reaching the scene, the rangers found themselves face-to-face with two armed men. Demanding that they surrender for an on-the-spot search, the rangers were met with a hail of bullets from the hunters’ weapons. With no other choice but to ensure their own survival, the rangers fought back, with both hunters sustaining injuries in the process.
Once subdued, the hunters were disarmed and arrested, and a grim inventory was taken of their possessions. In addition to two shotguns, an airgun, a flashlight, and a backpack, the lifeless bodies of six grey langur monkeys were discovered, silenced casualties of the cruel trade.
Showing a touch of humanity in these otherwise harsh circumstances, the rangers carried the injured hunters out of the depths of the forest. Their destination: Kaeng Krachan Hospital, where they would receive the medical attention they required. While the wounds of the hunters would eventually heal, this was just the beginning of the legal proceedings that they would have to endure, their fate now in the hands of justice.
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