On a sunny day in July 2022, amidst the lush greens of Kui Buri National Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, wild elephants were captured strolling freely in their natural habitat. The park has been home to these magnificent creatures for decades. However, the harmony between these elephants and the surrounding human residents has increasingly been under strain.
This deep-seated concern led the Human-Elephant Conflict Network, a group of individuals affected by the threats posed by these wild animals, to take their grievances to the House of Representatives. Their solemn plea, tendered on a fateful Wednesday, narrated their coexistence challenges with the mighty mammals from the Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary spans across the provinces of Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi, Chon Buri, Rayong, and Prachin Buri. This meeting was received by none other than the Director of the complaint-receiving office of the House, Jet Anukulpokarat, who acted in the stead of House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha.
The elephant-human conflict has seen elephants foraging for their meals outside the forest bounds for the last two decades. In their quest for nourishment, these creatures unknowingly tread on farmlands, trampling and damaging crops and properties, bringing about substantial losses to the farmers.
This interspecies discord has had severe casualties, resulting in a series of unfortunate fatalities and injuries for both the humans and the elephants. The distraught locals have been left with no choice but to implore the House to enact legislations to effectively handle the escalating situation.
Recent incidents have given further impetus to this demand. The tale of a local villager meeting his tragic end at the hands of a bounding elephant from the sanctuary while tapping rubber from his plantation on October 7th adds fuel to this desperate plea. Similarly shocking was the news that followed on Tuesday, when two well-intentioned volunteers ended up injured while endeavoring to guide straying elephants back into the woods in the Tha Kradan district of Chachoengsao’s Sanam Chaikhet.
The following day brought about news of equal disarray when a juvenile pachyderm, approximately 5 years of age, was found lifeless near Moo 12 village in Tha Kradan. Upon a careful examination by wildlife officers, local authorities, and community heads, their worst fear was confirmed. They discovered nine bullet-inflicted wounds on the young creature’s body. This led to the speculation that the animal’s life had been extinguished by a distinct 9mm shotgun blast, likely fired by a disillusioned villager.
Speaking on behalf of the local community, Suwichan Suwannakha, the Secretary-General of the affected network, stated that the local populace has requested the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to formulate a strategy. This proposal aims not only to drive the elephants back into their sanctuary but also to establish an obstruction that can prevent them from causing further disturbance and damage by straying back into the human settlements again.
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