As elephant “Por” looks on, rescue workers remove the mahout’s body. Photo: The Phuket News
A second mahout was killed by an elephant this week in the south of Thailand. Eakkapop Thongthub has the story for The Phuket News:
A drunk mahout was crushed to death Tuesday morning in Phuket by his elephant.
Wittawat Salangan, 22, was killed at the Phuchada Safari in Chalong subdistrict by an elephant named “Por.”
Lt. Col. Jamroon Plaiduang of Chalong Police told The Phuket News that Wittawat was drunk and annoyed Por, who picked him up with his trunk, flung him to the ground and then trampled him.
Por, also 22, had been chained because he was in Musth, a condition in which male elephants can become unpredictable and aggressive, and are normally kept away from people and other elephants. [Ed. Note: Similar to Vulcan Pon farr.]
However, the owners felt that he’d been chained long enough and told Wittawat to release him and get him ready for work.
Somehow Wittawat infuriated the giant animal, leading him to attack. No tourists were involved.
It was the second killing by an elephant since Sunday, when another mahout was killed in Phang Nga province. Two tourists aboard that elephant spent a tense 30 minutes before it was brought down by tranquilizer darts.
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