Khao Yai Search for Injured Elephant Phlai Chom View After Van Crash

On the evening of January 4, Khao Yai’s quiet wildlife corridor was rocked by a rare and alarming collision: a closed-box van struck a wild elephant known locally as Phlai Chom View — also called Phlai Biang Yai Moosi — while the animal was crossing the road near the Mun River Headwater Research Station in Pak Chong district. The van driver sustained serious head injuries and was rushed to Bangkok Hospital Pak Chong. The vehicle itself was heavily damaged. Phlai Chom View, shaken and probably hurt, fled back into the forest, leaving a worried team of officials and volunteers to begin a high-stakes search under fading light.

By the morning of January 5, Marine Officer Nithat Plodsomboon had posted an update on Facebook: Khao Yai’s rapid response team, working closely with local Moosi volunteers, had been tracking the elephant since dawn. Despite careful efforts, the animal had not been located by midday, and the search team took a brief break before resuming in the afternoon. A wildlife veterinarian known as Doctor Boy is scheduled to join the operation to evaluate and, if necessary, treat the elephant. Authorities stressed the urgency: locating Phlai Chom View quickly could prevent complications and increase the chances of a successful intervention.

The collision occurred in a stretch of road that serves as a known wildlife corridor — one of those vital green highways that connect forest patches and allow elephants to move between feeding and breeding areas. Such corridors are lifelines for large mammals, but they also create dangerous crossings where wildlife and vehicles meet. While this incident produced dramatic damage to a vehicle and serious injuries to a human driver, the real headline is the unknown condition of the elephant that disappeared into the forest with suspected injuries.

Officials from the Department of National Parks have used the incident to re-emphasize a message that shouldn’t need repeating: when you drive through conservation zones, be vigilant. Elephants and other wildlife are most active in low-light hours — dusk, dawn, and nighttime — and a moment’s inattention can end in tragedy for both people and animals. In response to the crash, authorities have increased signage and launched public awareness measures in high-risk areas in a bid to prevent future collisions.

There’s an emotional thread to this story that goes beyond the practicalities of response teams and road signs. Locals know Phlai Chom View by name — Phlai Biang Yai Moosi is not just a label but a personality in the landscape. When an individual animal with a familiar name disappears after an accident, communities feel it. Volunteers and wildlife staff have been working together, combing tracks, checking for blood, and following leads in the brush, all while the clock ticks. The hope is that the elephant will be found, assessed by Doctor Boy, and either treated on-site or gently guided to a location where further care is possible.

How common are incidents like this? Unfortunately, collisions between vehicles and large mammals are a recurring problem in many conservation areas worldwide. Roads that cut through habitat create unavoidable conflict zones. Even at moderate speeds, a collision with an elephant can devastate a vehicle and cause severe injury to people and animals alike. That’s why reinforced signage, speed reductions, wildlife crossings, and driver education are essential tools for reducing risk.

While the Khao Yai search continues, authorities have pledged to keep the public informed. CH7 HD and local outlets are reporting updates as they come in, and social channels are amplifying official requests: if you were driving in the Pak Chong area on January 4 and noticed anything — skid marks, disturbances at the roadside, or signs of an injured animal — please report it to local park authorities to help the search.

In a separate, but equally sobering incident, a young wild elephant was electrocuted while foraging on farmland near Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi. The animal was in Pa Deng subdistrict of Kaeng Krachan district when it made contact with illegal electric fencing that a farmer had installed to protect his crops. That event underlines another peril facing elephants at the fringes of protected areas: when human-wildlife boundaries blur, animals can encounter hazardous deterrents that cause fatal injuries. Authorities continue to crack down on illegal measures like electric fences and are urging farmers to seek legal, safe methods for protecting property.

For now, the twin incidents — the hit-and-run involving Phlai Chom View in Khao Yai and the electrocution near Kaeng Krachan — serve as a wake-up call. Conservation areas are not places to speed through on autopilot. They are living landscapes where animals with long memories and long legs move at all hours. If you travel through or near parks: slow down, watch for wildlife signs, and respect the warnings posted along the road.

Officials, veterinarians, and volunteers remain on alert, and updates will be posted as the situation develops. In the meantime, communities around Khao Yai and Kaeng Krachan are holding their breath for good news: the safe recovery of Phlai Chom View and stronger protections to keep wild elephants and people out of harm’s way.