Over 100 elephants evacuated from sanctuary as flooding in northern Thailand worsens

Over 100 elephants have been evacuated from a popular elephant sanctuary in northern Thailand amid heavy flooding, with some reportedly still trapped on the premises.

A photo posted by Elephant Nature Park on Facebook shows three elephants huddled together, with half their bodies submerged under brown, murky water.

Citing local media, AFP reported that more than 100 staff and volunteers had safely transported 117 elephants to higher ground.

The park’s founder, Ms Saengduean Lek Chailert, was quoted by CNN as saying: “It was the biggest evacuation we have ever done to save their lives.”

The flood was also the most severe that the park had seen, she added.

Located in Chiang Mai, Elephant Nature Park is a rescue and rehabilitation centre that houses rescued elephants, including some that are blind and have physical injuries.

The park falls under the remit of the Save Elephant Foundation, one of Thailand’s biggest elephant conservation non-governmental organisations.

There are 126 elephants and around 5,000 other animals, including dogs, cats, cows, pigs and rabbits in the park, according to an officer with the foundation.

In a Facebook post on Oct 3, the elephant sanctuary said: “The river that flows through Elephant Nature Park has burst its banks, and we have been working tirelessly to evacuate our rescued animals to higher ground throughout the day.”

The situation worsened on Oct 4 with rising water levels, prompting Ms Saengduean to request urgent help from the Thai authorities.

“Among the evacuated animals, there are many sick elephants, some (can) barely walk. We had to help them get to the foot of the mountain. We are in desperate need for help,” she reportedly said.

About 30 foreign volunteers, including five Americans, are also trapped at the sanctuary, she added.

In downtown Chiang Mai, residents are on alert for more floods amid continuous rainfall in the Mueang district.

The Nation newspaper reported that while water levels in the Ping River fell in the early morning of Oct 4, surrounding communities remained submerged.

Water in the Ping River had overflowed on the afternoon of Oct 3, submerging low-lying areas, with flood waters up to 1m deep. The river in north-western Thailand is one of the headstreams of the Chao Phraya River. 

Those on the western side of the Ping River had reportedly built sandbag barriers and monitored the flood situation overnight.

Water levels at the Ping River had risen rapidly due to heavy downpours in upstream areas, said Chiang Mai Governor Nirat Pongsitthithaworn on Oct 3, according to the Bangkok Post.

Government agencies were instructed to provide aid to those in need and to fortify flood-prone areas with barriers and sandbags.

In September, a Thai crocodile farm in the northern province of Lamphun was

forced to cull 125 crocodiles

due to fears that the flood would help the reptiles escape and endanger human lives, amid heavy monsoon rains.

The animals were electrocuted. “We’ve had them for 17 years,” the farm’s owner, Mr Natthapak Khumkad, had said.