A 38-year-old man was fatally attacked by a wild elephant in a rubber plantation in Chonburi. His wife tearfully recounted that her husband ran to change direction, luring the elephant away from her until she was safe, before his body was found dead.
At 04:30 on 28 Aug 2026 GMT+7, Police Lieutenant Boonthip Jinda, deputy investigator of Bo Thong Police Station, along with rescue teams from Sawang Hok Ban Thung Hiang and forest officials from Khao Chao Bo Thong Waterfall Park, received a report of a villager fatally attacked by a wild elephant inside a rubber plantation in That Thong subdistrict, Bo Thong district, Chonburi. They promptly rushed to the scene to investigate.
At the scene, they found the body of Mr. Pichai Ngamphaeng, 38, deceased inside the rubber plantation. His body bore severe injuries with multiple lacerations. About 10 meters away, elephant footprints were found. Officials proceeded to examine and collect evidence at the site.
Interviewed about the incident, Ms. Nu Wan Maneenuan, 39, the victim's wife, described in shock that before the incident, she and her husband had gone to work tapping rubber as usual. Upon arrival, they rested and ate on the sidecar of their motorcycle. After her husband finished eating, he went to tap rubber while she stayed near the vehicle. Soon after, she heard her husband scream and sounds like branches breaking in the plantation, then saw him running toward her with a wild elephant chasing after him.
As her husband ran toward her, he likely realized that if he ran straight to her, the wild elephant might attack her as well. So he decided to change direction, seemingly trying to lure the elephant to follow him away from his wife. Meanwhile, she saw the wild elephant and tried to scare it off by shouting, but the elephant turned and charged toward her, forcing her to run for safety while calling nearby rubber tap workers for help.
Upon hearing her cries, fellow workers rushed to help her escape to a safe area. After regaining composure, she contacted forest officials to investigate. Later, they found that her husband, Mr. Pichai, had been fatally attacked by the wild elephant inside the rubber plantation, causing great sorrow to his wife and those who learned of the incident.
Ms. Maneerat Treewattanon, a forest official from Khao Chao Bo Thong Waterfall Park, revealed that earlier in the evening, officials used a drone with thermal imaging to search for wild elephants in the area but found none. They then moved to monitor wild elephants in Hang Sung subdistrict, Nong Yai district, Chonburi.
Later, it was reported that at around 22:00 the previous night, villagers spotted the elephant in the area but did not notify officials to drive it away. Early the next morning, the tragic incident occurred, prompting officials to investigate. Following the event, forest officers intensified patrols around the area but have yet to locate the elephant involved. They have increased vigilance and continue monitoring to prevent the elephant from entering community areas and causing further harm.