Two elephants have drowned from flooding at Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai's Mae Taeng district. An all-out effort is underway to locate animals stranded in rising waters and fast-moving flood currents.
The park is home to 126 elephants, two of which have been confirmed dead after being swept away by the floodwaters.
Phang Fah Sai, a female elephant, was found dead near the Sibsan resort in Mae Taeng district on Saturday morning. The other dead pachyderm is believed to be Plang Mae Khor, who had a disabled leg. However, park staff are still working to confirm the identity.
Conservationist Saengduean Chailert, founder of the Elephant Nature Park, wrote on her Facebook page that Friday was a day of darkness and gloom for the park.
When they received the flood warning on Thursday, staff began evacuating the elephants to higher ground, and the effort continued into Friday night. However, the water kept rising, and even more elevated areas were not spared. The entire elephant village is now severely flooded.
"Our animals are adrift in floodwater. Our elephants are not chained, but remain in fenced enclosures," Ms Saengduean wrote. "The floodwater has risen to over three metres, surpassing the fences of the animals' shelters and almost reaching the roofs."
"Our blind elephant Mae Ploydaeng, Plang Mae Meeboon, and several others were swept away by the severe floods before our eyes."
Many cows and buffalo at the park also went missing during the flooding. All cats and dogs from the compound are safe, she said, though there were no cages for the animals.
She expressed her gratitude to rescue workers, volunteers, and government agencies for their help. Many elephant camps also sent their mahouts to help control the panicked elephants and assist in evacuating them. Ms Saengduean said she was heartbroken when she was informed that two elephants had been found dead.
Meanwhile, helicopters from Wing 41 of the Royal Thai Air Force, led by Gp Capt Phanpaporn Jinawat, Commander of Wing 41, helped track down the missing elephants. He said the aerial search began from the camp and extended to the surrounding area.
During the survey, the aircraft's infrared camera detected what appeared to be three elephants about one kilometre from the camp. These may have been the elephants they were searching for, and they also found a dead elephant.
The helicopter's infrared camera also detected three more elephants: one walking up the mountain and two remaining still. It is believed the elephants were sheltering on the mountain, and the coordinates were given to the mahouts to track them down.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, along with the Royal Forest Department, a team of vets, officials from the National Elephant Institute, and volunteers, assisted in rescuing the stranded elephants at the park.
Out of a total of 126 elephants, 114 have been moved to safety, while nine male elephants remain stranded, two elephants have died, and one is missing. Other animals, including buffalo, goats, dogs, and cats, have also been moved to safety, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
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