A wild elephant was found dead in a rice field in Loei yesterday, October 15, with electric-fence wire caught around the tip of its trunk and rice still in its mouth, prompting an investigation into whether it was electrocuted.
The adult male elephant was found in Khao Luang subdistrict, Wang Saphung district, outside Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary. Officials estimated it had been dead for more than five hours when they reached the field at around 1pm.
The tuskless elephant had apparently entered the field to eat rice before collapsing.
Charoen, the 62 year old owner of the field, said he was told by locals that an elephant had died on his land and went to inspect the area.
He said he normally did not use an electric fence but had bought one the previous day to stop elephants and other wildlife from eating the crop.
According to Charoen, the system drew power from a 220-volt household supply before passing it through a converter intended to reduce it to around 12 to 24 volts. He said it was meant to deter animals rather than injure them and that he did not know how the elephant died.
The head of Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary said the wire found around the elephant’s trunk raised questions about the fence, although the exact cause of death had not yet been confirmed.
He said farmers in the area commonly use pulsed electric fencing designed to startle elephants and make them move away rather than deliver a lethal shock. Based on the circumstances at the scene, however, he suspected the elephant may have received a much stronger current.
Veterinarians were called to conduct a postmortem, while electricity officials were asked to inspect the fence and determine the strength and type of current being used.
Police also examined the scene and took the field owner for questioning as they worked to establish what happened.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin said legal action should be taken if investigators find that anyone deliberately used electricity in a way that caused the elephant’s death.
Officials are also examining ways to reduce conflict between wild elephants and farmers living near protected forest areas.
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