Veterinarians removed the tusks to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death of a wild elephant in Salak Phra that was driven out of its herd, knocked down a village power pole, and died from electric shock in Kanchanaburi.
At 10:00 a.m. on 25 May 2026, Mr. Rachan Buatri, Director of Protected Areas Regional Office 3 (Ban Pong), ordered a team of veterinarians from the same office, together with Mr. Sutthichai Phophukiew, head of Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary, and officials, to perform an autopsy on a male wild elephant with tusks, aged approximately 25-30 years, that died from electrocution. The incident occurred near the forest edge outside Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary, in Ban Tha Manaw, Village No. 2, Wang Dong Subdistrict, Mueang District, Kanchanaburi Province.
Officials removed both tusks, each about one meter long, and collected tissue samples to send to the laboratory for examination to establish the true cause of death.
Investigation revealed that at 9:50 p.m. on 24 May, the elephant died after being driven out of its feeding herd inside the deep forest of Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary by a stronger wild elephant. Forced to forage outside the protected area, it reached the scene where it pushed over a power pole with its body. Then, it pulled down electrical wires with its trunk and placed them in its mouth, resulting in electrocution. Additionally, two to three power poles were found toppled.
After the autopsy, officials will dispose of the carcass by burial and will report the incident to the investigators at Lat Ya Police Station to officially record the case.
