Rampaging elephant put out to pasture

14 Mar 2011

The bull elephant that went berserk and killed a foreign tourist in an Andaman Sea area park last month has been retired. Six tourists were riding a trio of elephants, one male and two females, in Khao Sok National Park on 22 February when the incident took place.

The male pachyderm, suffering from the hormonal musth condition, suddenly ran amok and stamped on an elderly Swiss visitor. The abrupt attack alarmed the two female elephants and they bolted throwing their riders off or smashing them against trees, with two people managing to jump off.

The as yet unnamed Swiss woman died after being trampled by the elephant known as Buki, and her friend sustained multiple broken ribs, a punctured lung and a number of other less serious injuries. An Austrian couple were injured in the fracas, with the woman also receiving broken ribs.

After he went berserk Buki was kept in his enclosure while local authorities debated the wisdom of using bull elephants in tourist elephant treks. When the beasts are going through musth they experience surges in testosterone levels that quite often result in cantankerousness and belligerent behaviour.

The company that helps organise the elephant treks in Khao Sok, north of Krabi, say that Buki has been put out to pasture in a wildlife sanctuary and will not be used to give tourists rides any more.

Tags: Rampaging elephant pasture