The director of the Wildlife Conservation Department said that her staff did not behead “Mali,” a female gaur (Indian bison) that died in Southern Thailand despite receiving medical assistance, to decorate her office. She did admit that they plan to hang the bison’s head to prevent it from being sold on the black market.
Mali died on Saturday morning, shortly after she was rescued from a mud pit in the Hala Bala Forest, in the southern province of Yala. The gaur appeared skinny and was believed to have been stuck in the bog for nearly a week.
The official response came after the beheading of Mali was discussed and condemned online, with a shocking photo of the headless gaur posted by Facebook user Hala Bala, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, Manager reported.
“The staff from the Wildlife Conservation Department took the head of Mali to decorate their office. We tried to tell them not to, but it was no use,” Hala Bala wrote.
Kanchana Nitaya, director of the department, said yesterday that the staff were only acting in accordance with the 1961 National Park Act to try to prevent illegal wildlife traders from stealing the gaur’s head and selling it on the black market.
She also said that the head will be preserved as a national asset and will be displayed for educational purposes, Post Today reported.
