Complaint filed against man who provoked Khao Yai elephant
A Khao Yai National Park official filed a police complaint in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district on Tuesday against a man who was heard on a video as provoking a wild elephant to chase his car while driving on a road that cut through the park.
The video has since gone viral on social media.
Official Nitichai Rungpaiboonwong and a lawyer filed the complaint on behalf of park chief Kanchit Srinoppawan at the Moo Si precinct, alleging the man endangered the animal, made noise to disturb wildlife and violated park regulations, which could lead to a maximum Bt1,000 fine, up to one month in jail or both.
Park officials on Tuesday were checking CCTV recordings to determine the Toyota Camry’s licence plate and would submit the information to police so a summons warrant could be issued, Nitichai said.
The incident was re-posted on Monday by the popular Facebook page “Yak Dang Diew Jadhai V4” after the man’s Facebook page that posted the original clip was closed.
Elephants and other wildlife in the national park, which spans the four provinces of Nakhon Ratchasima, Sara Buri, Nakhon Nayok and Prachin Buri, have been disturbed by the increasing number of vehicles and tourists using the park’s roads over the past decade. There have been many incidents of animals being alarmed and displaying dangerous behaviour near disruptive tourists.