1 hour ago
Last Updated:February 02, 2026, 19:05 IST
The 65-year-old was out for a morning walk with his wife when he was trampled to death by an elephant named Oyewan.
Elephants standing in flood waters at the sanctuary in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai province. (AFP file photo)
A wild bull elephant killed a tourist in central Thailand’s Khao Yai Park on Monday, marking the third fatality linked to the same animal, park officials said.
The 65-year-old man from Lopburi province was out for a morning walk with his wife when he was trampled to death by an elephant named Oyewan, national park chief Chaiya Huayhongthong told AFP, adding that his wife managed to escape after park rangers scared the animal away.
“He was the third person killed by Oyewan," Chaiya said, adding that the elephant may have been responsible for several other deaths that remain unsolved.
Authorities are scheduled to meet on Friday to decide whether to relocate the animal or attempt to modify its behaviour.
Wild elephants in Thailand have increasingly come into conflict with humans, with more than 220 people, including tourists, killed since 2012, according to the Department of Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. The rise in human-elephant conflict has also resulted in more than 100 elephant deaths.
Elephant numbers in the wild have risen sharply, from 334 in 2015 to nearly 800 last year. Last month. authorities had administered contraceptive vaccines to three female elephants in Trat province to manage the population.
Officials said the birth rate in five eastern provinces rises about eight per cent annually, compared with three per cent in other regions, warning that unchecked growth could worsen human-elephant conflicts.
Previous incidents include the death of a Spanish tourist earlier in January at a southern sanctuary and another fatality in Loei province in last December.
Asian elephants, Thailand’s national animal, are classified as endangered globally by the Union for Conservation of Nature.
(With inputs from AFP)
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First Published:
February 02, 2026, 19:05 IST
News world Elephant Kills Tourist At Thai Park, Third Victim Trampled To Death By Same Animal
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