On October 5th, 2019 news of a horrific accident started appearing in major online news outlets all around the world.
Six wild elephants living in the Khao Yai National Park, in Thailand had fallen to their deaths after one of the calves in their herd had lost his footing over one of the park's famous falls. Elephants are loyal, social animals and, like a human family, the rest of the clan sprang into action to try to save their young. That's when things went from bad to worse. In all, seven elephants went in after the baby calf, only two survived, the rest drowned.
That news was tragic enough, but just a few days later the full toll of the event was reported after officials used a drone camera to survey the area. It wasn't 6 elephants that had died, but a total of 11 who had fallen and perished.
There are only 300 wild elephants that live in the national park, nearly 4% of the population has died over a short period in one area of the park.
Officials have said that they "have often seen this happening." If that is the case, why have officials not created a barrier to keep the elephants from getting so close to the falls as to putting them at risk of falling?
The Asian elephant, like the ones that died recently in Thailand, is an endangered species. There are less than 50,000 of them in the wild and like their African cousins, they are poached for their tusks, and other body parts to sell as "medicine." We must do all we can to protect them from not only poaching but from other things that put them at risk.
Tell Varawut Silpa-archa, the minister of national resources and environment, to take steps to protect the parks remaining elephants and create an elephant proof barrier that will keep them from getting so close to the deadly falls. Sign the petition now.
