Overworked Elephant Rips Its Handler In Half With Tusk Due To Heat Exhaustion

An overworked male elephant ripped its handler in half due to frustration in the extreme summer heat of Thailand.

The incident occurred at a rubber plantation in the Phang Nga province of southern Thailand. The animal was being forced to transport rubberwood when it flew into a fit of rage and attacked its handler, Ladbible reported Wednesday.

The 20-year-old elephant stabbed the man multiple times with its tusks, cutting his body in half. The deceased was identified as Supachai Wongfaed, 32.

A preliminary investigation into the Aug. 17 incident revealed that Wongfaed had bought the elephant, Pom Pam, to haul wood at the plantation that morning, the outlet reported. Local authorities said the hot weather may have been a factor in causing Pom Pam to lose its cool.

Livestock officers found Wongfaed's body in a pool of blood after arriving. The officials had to throw a tranquilizing dart from a distance of 1,600 feet so as to sedate the Pom Pam as they recovered Wongfaed's body.

Wongfaed was the son of the former mayor of the Khok Charoen subdistrict in central Thailand's Lopburi province. His body was handed over to his family for the funeral, Next Shark reported.

According to the August weather forecast for Phang Nga district, the temperature can go well above 89 degrees Fahrenheit in the summertime.

Using elephants to carry rubberwood is a violation of Thai law which imposed a sweeping ban on the practice in 1989. Despite the ban, people in some regions of the country continue to use the animals in rubber plantations to turn huge profits.

Elephants are gentle by nature and rarely attack humans unless they sense a threat or feel distressed.

In August 2021, an elephant trampled a man to death in India after its herd was heckled by some villagers. The incident occurred in the eastern Indian state of Assam. The herd, which included calves, was crossing a road when some villagers made loud noises to distract them. Irked, the elephant broke away from its herd and began chasing the crowd of villagers as they attempted to flee. One man, identified as Pascal Munda, was trampled to death by the animal during the commotion.