Thap Lan National Park continues to keep the Khao Salak Dai viewpoint in Wang Nam Khiao closed after sightings of both elephants and tigers foraging in local farmers' fields, to prevent danger to tourists.
On 3 Feb 2025 GMT+7, reporters observed that dozens of villagers in Pong Sanuan, Lam Phiaek Subdistrict, Khon Buri District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, gathered overnight to watch for and drive away wild elephants. Recently, herds of several dozen wild elephants have been foraging and damaging local agricultural crops near the forest edge of Thap Lan National Park. Latest reports indicate around 30 to 40 wild elephants have been seen along the forest border. This vigilance allows for rapid response to push the elephants back when they enter farmers' lands.
A rapid response team from Thap Lan National Park has been using drones equipped with thermal imaging to monitor the situation throughout the night for villagers’ safety. They detected one wild elephant foraging outside the forest boundary and six more near Ban Nong Bot and Bo Ling areas in Khok Krachai Subdistrict, approximately 10 kilometers away.
Mr. Yosawat Thiansawat, Director of the Protected Areas Regional Office 1 (Prachinburi), and Mr. Prawattisat Chanthap, head of Thap Lan National Park, acknowledged that the park’s wild elephants have formed large herds of about 200 animals on the Nakhon Ratchasima side. These elephants have continuously foraged and damaged crops of farmers living adjacent to the park’s forest edge in Udomsap Subdistrict, Wang Nam Khiao District, and Chorakhe Hin Subdistrict, Khon Buri District. Park officials and all related networks have joined forces to closely monitor and push back these elephant groups for over four months. The elephants have learned to split into smaller groups to forage in different areas, reducing encounters with officials and increasing their success in feeding.
Regarding wild elephants in key tourist areas within Thap Lan National Park, such as Pha Kheptawan in Wang Nam Khiao District, the park has deployed teams to rigorously monitor and patrol the surroundings to protect tourists visiting and camping during this winter season. So far, no elephants have been seen near the area, but tracks from at least two elephants have been found circling Khao Salak Dai, a popular viewpoint in Wang Nam Khiao. This site was closed earlier after a tiger was spotted near a nearby community in early December last year, to ensure no dangerous wildlife remains in the area. Moreover, from 1 March until the end of May 2026, Thap Lan National Park will close all tourist spots for the annual dry season, to prevent forest fires and allow nature to recover.
