Images and news of the dead elephant and heron were revealed this afternoon (May 7) by a member of Chalong Municipality, who said that the elephant was found dead this morning with a chain still attached to his leg, while a dead heron with gunshot wound on its wing was found nearby.
The bull elephant was thought to have bled to death after falling 15 meters down a thick jungle slope sometime last night, apparently smashing his head on a boulder and bleeding to death.
Mr Thanawat Pansanit, an official at the Phang Nga Livestock Office confirmed that he was aware of the incident.
“Locals and the operators [of the tourist attraction that had the elephant chained up] have conducted a ceremony for the elephant in accordance with their beliefs. We have not yet received any reports from the police, who’re to be contacted about damage to assets,” he said.
“From here, officials will investigate further to confirm the cause of death,” he concluded.