Monks prayed at a merit-making ceremony held in response to the deaths of rare 18 gaurs who have died under mysterious circumstances during the past month. Bhramin priests also intoned a curse that anyone responsible for killing the animals should also die. Photo: Thai PBS
There are only a few of the legendary, giant bovines wandering through a national park southeast of Bangkok. About 150 of the rare animals, the largest cows in the world, have been spotted in recent years. Since last month, more than one in 10 of these “gaurs” have been murdered, and officials now say they might be victims of a turf and power struggle between humans over park authority.
Or poison, or tigers, or dogs, depending on whom you listen to.
“As a local man, I think the deaths of the gaurs resulted from the conflict over the designation and removal of park officials,” said Phongphan Wichiansamut, chief officer of the Prachuap Khiri Khan province district where the park is located.
The animals have died at the hands of people upset about the removal of wildlife officers and a plan to merge two parks into a Natural World Heritage Site, according to officials.
Some local officials were upset by plans to merge Kui Buri and Kaeng Kra Chan national parks into one site intended to become a tourist destination.
Publicity about the 18 gaurs deaths led to the removal of Kui Buri’s chief, which also caused bad blood.
Thai park officials however deny that infighting was a factor in the animals’ deaths. Department of National Park Deputy Director Theerapat Prayurasiddhi said personnel changes were unrelated to the dead gaurs and insisted there were no definite plans to merge the parks.
The animals probably died, he said, from causes such as disease, tigers and wild dogs.
His department expects the results of its investigation into the gaurs’ deaths later this month.
Local villagers have pooled THB100,000 for a bounty on those responsible for the deaths of the gaurs, The Nation reported.
Here’s a video of yesterday’s merit-making ceremony held for the animals:
