Elephant carcass found in dead gaurs’ habitat in Kui Buri National Park

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN, Thailand, May 13 (TNA) - A wild elephant has been found dead in Kui Buri National Park, where several wild gaurs have mysteriously died. The decaying carcass of the male elephant without tusks was found by park rangers at 10 am Tuesday at the site of the royally initiated Kunchorn reforestation project in the national park in Kui Buri district’s Hat Kham sub-district. Police and veterinarians of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Mahidol University, the Department of Livestock Development and the Zoological Park Organization checked the carcass to try and determine the cause of death. Initially, they assumed that the wild elephant died due to unnatural causes as pesticide packs had been found by park rangers in the area. The area was closed to facilitate authorities’ investigation to find the cause of the elephant death. Since December last year, 29 wild gaurs have mysteriously died in the national park and authorities have conflicting theories on their deaths. Some suspect poison while others say foot and mouth decease is the cause. (TNA)