This archive report was first published on 6 October 2019.
Published on October 6, 2019, a devastating incident occurred in Thailand's Khao Yai National Park, where six wild elephants lost their lives after falling over a treacherous waterfall.
The tragedy unfolded after heavy rainfall in the park, which is home to about 170 of the country's 3,000 wild elephants. According to national park officials, the elephants were trying to save a 3-year-old calf that had been swept away by the river.
"The baby fell and the other five were trying to help, but they fell into the waterfall, too," said Kanchit Srinoppawan, the park's director, in an interview.
Two other elephants managed to avoid getting swept away but were trapped for a time as they tried to climb out of the rugged canyon. Park rangers were alerted to the disaster by the sound of the distraught survivors trumpeting in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A similar tragedy occurred in 1992, when eight elephants were swept over the same waterfall and died, said Edwin Wiek, founder of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand.
The 260-foot waterfall, known as Haew Narok or Hell's Abyss, is a treacherous site that has claimed the lives of many elephants. Despite the installation of fencing along the banks of the 115-foot-wide Samor Poon Creek, the tragedy highlights the need for further measures to prevent such accidents.
