Thai Elephants Die Attempting To Save Young One From A Waterfall In National Park

Authorities in Thailand believe that five elephants and one calf died recently at a national park attempting to save another young elephant from a waterfall. It is believed that the animals died after falling into the Haew Narok Waterfall. Two elephants that survived were stuck for hours on Saturday before officials at Khao Yai National Park found them.

Guests had been reporting the sounds of the animals crying out prior to authorities arriving, CNN reports. Upon their arrival at the waterfall, officials found the dead calf nearby. The five adults were discovered later in other parts of the waterfall. Once recovered, the surviving elephants were fed bananas, pineapples, and sugar cane.

“It was an accident. We have often seen this happening,” National Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said in a statement to Reuters.

Following this incident, the waterfall is closed to the public.

The Khao Yai National Park, located in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, is home to roughly 300 wild elephants and covers over 772 square miles, or 2,000 kilometers. It is also home to a host of wild animals, including bears and gibbons.