Thai tourists who are planning to drive through Khao Yai National Park during the holiday season have been warned to watch out for “Yoyo,” a male elephant in musth (a condition in bull elephants characterized by aggressive behavior and a rise in reproductive hormones) that has been roaming the road the past few days.
The head of Khao Yai National Park, Kanchit Srinoppawan, said that the park’s rangers are working hard to ensure safety for motorists following some incidents involving Yoyo rampaging on the road, Workpoint reported.
On Sunday, one motorist posted a clip of her family’s encounter with the bull to Facebook, showing the giant beast casually going through the back of a truck in front of them, before slowly approaching their vehicle. He appears to be looking for food.
In the clip, which has gained over 700,000 views, the passengers inside the truck tell each other to stay calm while the bull raids the back of their vehicle.
“We have rice in the back of the truck!” one woman can be heard yelling.
The video shows Yoyo fetching the bag from the truck and then stepping back, allowing the family to slowly drive away.
Another video released to the media shows Yoyo roaming the street as park rangers handle the situation by giving signals to a line of vehicles waiting to pass.
Kanchit said yesterday that motorists are advised to slowly back their vehicle away if they spot an elephant on the road, especially if the animal appears distressed.
Kanchit said that honking and flashing your headlines at the elephant should never be done and he advised visitors to strictly follow the instructions of any park rangers nearby.
