Efforts to save elephants from their heavily flooded sanctuaries in Chiang Mai province continue today.
Although some have already been successfully relocated to higher ground, there have been reports of elephants dying in some areas.
Vast areas of Chiang Mai, which is home to about ten elephant sanctuaries, are under deep floodwater for the second time in the past six weeks and it is feared that this time could be worse than last month.
Some owners of the elephant parks said that they could not move the jumbos in time, because the flash floods came unexpectedly and their remote locations became inaccessible due to landslides and inundation.
Many elephants have escaped from their flooded shelters, seeking higher ground themselves, as the water rose so high that they could barely hold their heads above it.
Joining the search today are aircraft from Wing 41 of the Thai Air Force, accompanied by veterinary teams and the chiefs mahouts from the Elephant Nature Park (ENP) and Save the Elephant Foundation (SEF).
Wing 41’s commander, Group Captain Parathorn Jeenawat, said that an infrared camera spotted three elephants in an area about a kilometre from the ENP.
Their location was sent to the mahouts on the ground so they could be rescued, he said.
“We also saw dead elephants though” he said.
Meanwhile, the rescue of elephants and other animals from the SEF shelter continues today, but faces difficulties due to the strong currents in and the rising level of the floodwater.
One mahout said, “We have to race against time.”
Good news came for a blind and elderly jumbo, “Pang Mae Boon”, as she was safely rescued.
A video clip, which went viral yesterday, showed three elephants walking through floodwater that so deep that they had to hold their trunks clear of the water to breathe.
Pang Mae Boon lagged behind the other two, because she was blind, but her rescue was successful after volunteers spent hours getting her to safety.
