Wild elephant attack kills push leader in Dong Yai, forest overcrowding cited.

Matichon•Society•17d ago

Reader Briefing

A community leader died after being attacked by wild elephants from Dong Yai forest, highlighting a persistent problem of elephant overpopulation and a lack of effective intervention from authorities.

•A 66-year-old man, Veera Rachavong, president of the Dong Yai Wild Elephant Watch Network, was killed by wild elephants while attempting to drive them away from his village.
•Villagers in the area consider such deaths a regular occurrence, with several people reportedly killed by elephants annually due to the animals encroaching on human settlements.
•Local residents are living in fear and hardship, urging authorities to address the issue of forest overpopulation by wild elephants which are frequently entering villages.

Overview

•On May 14, between 04:00 AM, Veera Rachavong, aged 66, was killed by a wild elephant.
•Villagers living near the Dong Yai forest consider annual deaths due to wild elephants a normal and familiar occurrence, resulting in ongoing fear.
•Veera Rachavong, President of the Dong Yai Wild Elephant Watch Network, attempted to push back wild elephants that entered the village.
•Wild elephants are believed to be overcrowding the forest and encroaching on villagers' homes daily, causing significant distress.
•Prasit Jupamatang, a wild elephant pusher, stated that he arrived after the incident and found Veera Rachavong deceased.
•Manas Yeamram, the village headman of Moo 9, acknowledged that wild elephants enter the village almost daily, typically 1-3 at a time, leading to villagers living with great difficulty and fear.
•Villagers are requesting that relevant agencies seriously address the problem of encroaching elephants due to forest overpopulation, in order to restore peace.
•The incident occurred in Moo 9, Lam Nang Rong Subdistrict, Non Din Daeng District, Buriram Province.

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Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

An unnamed villager

"The death of Mr. Veera, villagers living along the Dong Yai forest border in many areas consider it a normal and familiar occurrence that villagers will end up like this every year, several people per year."

การเสียชีวิตของนายวีระ ชาวบ้านที่อาศัยอยู่ตามแนวเขตป่าดงใหญ่หลายพื้นที่ถือว่าเป็นเรื่องปกติและคุ้นชินไปแล้ว ที่ชาวบ้านจะต้องมาจบชีวิตแบบนี้ทุกปี ปีละหลายคน

Prasit Jupamatang

"We arrived too late after being notified and found Mr. Veera already dead."

เราเข้ามาไม่ทันเมื่อมาถึงหลังได้รับแจ้งก็พบนายวีระเสียชีวิตแล้ว

Manas Yeamram

"Wild elephants enter the village almost every day, coming in groups of 1-3. We admit villagers are now scared and living with great difficulty. We want relevant agencies to seriously solve the problem as elephants are overcrowding the forest, making villagers uneasy."

ช้างป่าเข้าหมู่บ้านแทบทุกวัน จะเข้ามาครั้งละ 1-3 ตัว ยอมรับว่าตอนนี้ชาวบ้านผวาใช้ชีวิตอยู่กันด้วยความยากลำบาก อยากให้หน่วยงานที่เกี่ยวข้องเข้ามาแก้ไขปัญหาให้อย่างจริงจังเนื่องจากช้างกำลังล้นป่า ชาวบ้านอยู่ไม่เป็นสุขแล้ว

Key Entities

Person

Veera Rachavong(วีระ ราชวงศ์)

President of the Dong Yai Wild Elephant Watch Network who was killed by a wild elephant.

Prasit Jupamatang(ประสิทธิ์ จุปะมะตัง)

An official involved in pushing back wild elephants from Dong Yai.

Manas Yeamram(มนัส เยี่ยมรัมย์)

Village headman of Klong Hin Lat Village, Moo 9.

Place

Klong Hin Lat Village, Moo 9, Lam Nang Rong Subdistrict, Non Din Daeng District, Buriram Province(คลองหินลาด หมู่ 9 ต.ลำนางรอง อ.โนนดินแดง จว.บุรีรัมย์)

The village where the fatal elephant attack occurred.

Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary(เขตรักษาพันธุ์ดงใหญ่)

The protected area from which the wild elephants are believed to originate.