Photos released over the weekend by The Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) provide a rarely-seen glimpse into life deep in a Thai national park.
The images, captured by camera traps in the jungle of Phetchabun province’s Nam Nao National Park, were shared on the DNP’s Facebook page.
The camera traps that caught the images were placed near salt licks. These areas are frequented by all kinds of creatures that stop by to lick the salt formation to get the sodium that allows them to stay hydrated in Thailand’s hot climate.
According to Park Chief Uthai Charnsook, the cameras were set up on July 24 to monitor the movements of animals near the salt licks and also near where a guar had recently died after a bloody fight with other guars. Park officials expected there to be many animals coming to eat the carcass of the large Indian bison.
They were right. The camera traps were removed three days later and showed the images seen here. They include: an elephant feeding her calf as well as a pack of Asiatic wild dogs, a bear, and a porcupine eating the gaur’s remains.
Chief Uthai was pleased with the images since he believes they prove that the forest is still teeming with wildlife.
This guar, however, is not the deceased one that recently made headlines after officials took its head to mount and hang in their office.
This guar carcass, it was agreed upon by park workers, should stay in the forest where other animals could eat its remains, as is the natural cycle of life in the park.
