Wildlife officials have launched a formal legal inquiry after a post-mortem examination confirmed that a wild bull elephant found dead in a rice paddy field had been killed by electrocution.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) reported on Friday that the carcass of a young male tuskless (si-dor) elephant, estimated to be between 11 and 15 years old and weighing approximately 2.5 tonnes, was discovered lying on its right side in roughly 30 centimetres of water in a paddy field at Ban Yang Diao, Moo 10, in Khao Luang sub-district in Loei province.
The location sits just outside the Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary in Wang Saphung district. Officials estimated the animal had been dead for one to two days.
A veterinary team conducted an on-site post-mortem examination, which revealed that the cause of death was acute cardiorespiratory failure resulting from electric shock.
Following the autopsy, local officials and villagers performed a religious merit-making ceremony led by four Buddhist monks.
The carcass was subsequently treated with quicklime and buried in accordance with official wildlife management guidelines.
DNP officers have gathered physical evidence from the scene and filed a formal complaint at the Wang Saphung Police Station.
Police are pursuing legal action under the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019) and other relevant statutes to track down those responsible for setting up the fatal electrical hazard.
