Park officials today are closely monitoring the condition of two surviving members of a herd of elephants who plunged to their deaths at a waterfall in Khao Yai National Park over the weekend.
Park officials were using drones Monday to monitor the two elephants — a mother and her calf — to ensure they were recovering after becoming trapped in a flash flood near the Haew Narok (Hell’s Abyss) Waterfall, where six other members of their group were found Saturday.
Six wild elephants drown after slipping off waterfall in Thai park
Their survival was the only sliver of good news from what was a major weekend downer. Many were sharing images of their muddy, broken bodies online with #WildElephants.
The waterfall reopened today after being closed to visitors during the weekend.
Park rangers early Saturday were called to rescue the elephants trapped at the waterfall. When they arrived, they found the six wild elephants at the bottom of the waterfall, according to regional national parks official Wichai Pornleesangsuwan.
The two who survived were trapped on a slippery, rocky cliff. They were successfully rescued by the park personnel, who tossed food to help them to regain the strength to climb back into the forest.
This was not the first time elephants died at the gushing waterfall. In August 1992, a family of eight elephants drowned while trying to cross it.
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Six wild elephants drown after slipping off waterfall in Thai park
