An elephant ripped its handler in half with its tusks in southern Thailand last week after being made to hold wood in the recent weather, in response to a report.
The body of 32-year-old Supachai Wongfaed was present in a pool of blood after police responded to a rubber plantation within the Phang Nga province, Thailand news outlet the Thaiger reported.
Police said that a male 20-year-old elephant named Pom Pam stabbed the person with its tusks multiple times, tearing his body in half.
A preliminary investigation determined that Supachai brought the elephant to haul wood on the plantation that morning, the outlet reported, citing police.
Police said the hot weather could have made the animal “go crazy” and attack the person.
Livestock officers needed to sedate the elephant with a dart from over 1,600 feet away in order that Supachai’s body might be recovered, in response to the report.
One other incident occurred last month within the Nakhon Sri Thammarat province. Police suspect that the elephant, in that case, was stressed from work, stabbed its handler to death and stood over his corpse for hours, the outlet reported.
Duncan McNair, CEO of the charity Save The Asian Elephants, told Newsweek that Asian elephants suffer psychologically and physically when broken and compelled to work in extreme activities like logging.
“[It] is one more stark reminder that Asian elephants are and at all times remain wild animals that may attack and kill after they are abused or overly stressed by humans,” McNair said.
Despite the practice of using Asian elephants to hold logs being banned in Thailand in 1989, it still occurs in some parts of the country, in response to the outlet.