It is with heavy hearts that WAN shares the tragic news that six wild elephants fell to their deaths into a waterfall this weekend in Thailand after trying to save a baby elephant in their herd.
According to Thai officials, the heartbreaking incident occurred on Saturday after the baby elephant reportedly slipped over the edge of a cliff and down the Haew Narok waterfall, in Khao Yai National Park.
As per a post on the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Facebook page, officers were first alerted to the situation after hearing elephants cry near the Haew Narok Waterfall.
The baby elephant, estimated to be approximately three years old, was found on the first level of the waterfall. Five more deceased elephants, including one that is believed to be the young animal’s mother, were subsequently recovered.
In the midst of the tragedy, park officials and rescue workers were able to save two adult elephants that were noticed to be struggling on a nearby cliff.
Tragically, as per the Thailand Tourism Directory, since 1987, one or two elephants have fallen to the cliffs below each year; with the most devastating loss occurring in 1992 when a herd of eight elephants fell into the waterfall and died.
The waterfall, located in what is Thailand’s third largest national park, has since been temporarily closed as staff cares for the surviving elephants and works to “find ways to prevent such accidents from happening again in the future.”
Sadly, there are only an estimated 7,000 Asian elephants remaining in Thailand, with more than half living in captivity.
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