Second elephant dies of electrocution

A second elephant has been killed by electrocution on Saturday, 23rd of January, according to Police Liutenant Arnon Inphorng, a police investigator for the Jomtien Police.

Mr Uay Yurium, 61, claimed that on the day, he was riding his elephant in the rain to the Nern Na Jomtien Elephant Camp in Sattahip, when he felt a sudden surge of electricity through his leg, and was thrown from the elephant onto the grass verge at the side of the road.  At the same time, he noticed his elephant shudder before seeing the elephant fall by the side of a high voltage electricity post.

Mr Yuirum believed the elephant’s death was the cause of an electrical fault which had left him in 700,000THB worth of debt.  He said he had taken out a loan of 800,000 to purchase the elephant.

Once news spread, reporters rushed to the scene to see the dead elephant with its head close to a high voltage post.  The Provincial Electricity Authority officials arrived shortly after to cut the electricity flow to enable an examination of both the elephant and the surrounding area.

Mr Yuirum said that he was lucky to be alive, after initially feeling the surge of electricity through his leg before being thrown from the elephant.

He hopes for compensation of 700,000 THB which would pay off the loan for the purchase of the animal after co-operating with the Provincial Electrical Authority, who found Mr Yuirum was not at fault.