A 66-year-old Buddhist monk was gored to death by a wild elephant in Chanthanaburi province in eastern Thailand on Saturday. A graphic video of the tragic incident was caught on the CCTV camera. The body of Phra Prachon Suksingh was discovered next day morning by a fellow monk.
Elephant Charged at the Monk in a Sudden Move
The video of the incident, which took place at 9.26pm on Saturday night, shows the monk coming out of his hut in the open area outside the Wat Santiranaram temple compound. He is seen inspecting the surroundings, when an elephant suddenly comes running towards him.
As the monk tries to escape the charging elephant he trips down and lay flat on the ground. The elephant is then seen trampling Suksingh as he tries to escape in his last-ditch attempt. After trampling the monk, the elephant moves away.
The Thaiger reported that Suksingh's body was discovered by a fellow monk at 5am on Sunday morning after a monk came out of his hut. Elephant footprints were also found at the scene. Later, when monks checked the CCTV camera, it revealed the horrific video.
Monk's Body Was Covered in Cuts and Bruises
Speaking to the outlet, a monk said that he heard one of the temple dogs continuously barking at the time of the incident. Claiming that while he didn't go outside the inspect the grounds, the monk stated that Suksingh might have gone to see why the dogs were barking.
The outlet further reported that the elephant, believed to be 7-10 years old with tusks that are about 50 cm long, is suspected to have come from Khao Chamao-Khao Wong National Park. Recently, there have been three or four elephants walking through the temple grounds, according to the monks.
The Sun reported that the monk, before being trampled, was gored by the charging elephant's ivory tusks during the attack. "Nobody had seen Monk Jaron during the morning ritual. The next we saw of him was when his body was found. He was already dead," temple caretaker Wasan Meesapan was quoted by the outlet.
As per the team of wildlife rangers, who were stationed to monitor the animal movement in the area, believed that the elephant was in musth, a period in which they show highly aggressive behaviour and have surging hormones as they try to attract a mate.
