Khao Yai National Park will take legal action against Thai tourists who irritated a wild elephant with their yelling and posted a video of their prank on Facebook.
The video, which went viral and outraged social media users, shows an elephant obviously goaded by a man and woman’s voices, causing the pachyderm to run after their car.
That’s when a man is heard saying arrogantly in the video, “It can’t possibly be faster than my Camry,” as he sped up.
The video, captioned “E. Elephant chased us [smiley face],” was originally posted by a woman named Bunyarat Soita, who was assumed to be the owner of the annoying, screaming voice in the video.
The clip has been deleted from her account but was reposted by a popular Thai Facebook page.
Kanchit Nopsrisuwan, head of Khao Yai National Park, said officials will track down the owner of the car for questioning and the tourists will face a fine, according to Khaosod.
Pattaraphol Maneeon, a veterinarian at the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, said the elephant in the video is nicknamed “Yoyo” by the staff. He pointed out that high-pitched yelling can irritate elephants, change their behavior, and cause danger to other motorists on the road, Post Today reported.
“The staff call this elephant ‘Yoyo’. He’s the number one elephant to watch right now because his behavior is constantly changing. He was wounded from fighting with other elephants, and he’s easily annoyed,” he said.
“Although, in the case, the tourists in the car were not injured, their actions could cause trouble to other motorists on the road. Them getting away [after teasing the elephant] is not the end of it. They have already caused an effect to society and nature,” Pattaraphol said.
