A tourist was trampled to death by a wild elephant in a national park in central Thailand, marking the third deadly incident related to this elephant.
According to AFP, officials from Thailand's national parks said the victim was a 65-year-old Thai man from Lopburi Province. He was taking a morning walk in Khao Yai National Park with his wife when he was attacked and trampled to death by a male elephant named "Oyewan."
The national park director said the victim’s wife escaped after rangers drove the elephant away.
This is the third person to be killed by this elephant, which may also be linked to several other unsolved deaths.
Thai authorities will hold a meeting on February 6 to decide how to deal with the elephant, possibly opting to relocate it or take measures to change its behavior.
According to Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, more than 220 people have died from wild elephant attacks since 2012.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s wild elephant population continues to rise, from 334 in 2015 to nearly 800 last year. To control this rapid growth, authorities have begun vaccinating female elephants with contraceptives.