Thread: Firecrackers scare away wild elephants from crop raiding in Chanthaburi

Farmers living in Kaeng Harng Maew wildlife sanctuary in Chanthaburi province scared away a herd of 50 wild elephants with firecrackers as the animals tried to raid their crops Friday night.

The thunderous sounds frightened and prevented the wild elephants from the crop raiding, and forced them to flee in various directions.

Unfortunately five of them fell into the muddy pond where they got stuck and unable to get out.

Farmers heard the shouting sounds of the five elephants early this morning, forcing them to alert sanctuary officials to come and rescue them.

Rescue team backed with a backhoe arrived at Village 5 of Tambon Paws in Kaeng Harng Maew district and began dredging a slope for the elephants to get out by themselves.

But as they got out, some turned to the backhoe in a bid to attack the driver.

With the experience of the driver in dealing with animals trapped in muddy ponds, he drove to confront the angry elephants and blew the horn loudly, scaring off the aggressive animals.

The five elephants later joined it’s herd and went back to their traditional home.

Officials said they believed that farmers fired gunshots, burst firecrackers and throwing ping pong bombs in order to prevent crop raiding by wild elephants.

firecrackers scare away wild elephants from crop raiding in Chanthaburi - Thai PBS English News

Wild elephants get stuck in muddy pond in Chanthaburi



A herd of 40 wild elephants coming out of a wildlife sanctuary in Kaeng Harng Maew in Chanthaburi province last Friday to raid farmers' crops was driven back to their traditional home in the jungle but four got stuck in a muddy pond.

The incident happened last Friday at Village 3 of Tambon Pawa in Kaeng Harng Maew district.

The incident went viral on the social world yesterday when a video clip of the elephants getting stuck in the muddy pond was posted, with many viewers commenting that the elephants were scared away by gunshots and firecrackers and four fell into the muddy pond.

A backhoe was also seen in the clip dredging a path for the elephants to get out of the pond.

Many questioned the way park officials firing gunshots to scare away the herd from farmers farms, thus forcing them to flee in fear of the gunshot sound, and fell into the steep pond.

But Khao Arng Luenai wildlife sanctuary chief Decha Nilwichien today dismissed claim by the poster that park officials fired gunshots to scare away the elephants.

Instead, park officials were rescuing the four elephants out of the muddy pond when they misstepped and fell into the pond while they followed the herd back to the jungle.

No shooting was used to drive the herd back to the jungle, he insisted.

Wild elephants get stuck in muddy pond in Chanthaburi - Thai PBS English News