• 
• 

Published on November 10, 2007

 Initial tests on the group of six elephant corpses found in Chanthaburi last month indicate the cause of death as ingested herbicide, but it is not yet clear if deliberate poisoning was involved.

However, elephants are generally at risk of conflict with humans in 22 locations, the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department said yesterday.

Samart Sumanojitraporn, director of the department's Wildlife Protection Office, said traces of paraquat and pesticide had been detected in the elephants' stomachs, though more detailed testing was needed.

His office is working with other agencies to study all angles, especially how the animals could have been exposed to the chemicals and whether their deaths were sudden or the toxic substances had accumulated in their bodies.

Thorough analysis is needed before a conclusion is drawn to avoid offence to villagers, he added.

Veterinarian Pattarapon Maneeon said the test result could not be considered 100 per cent accurate. Further testing of elephant fat samples will be completed next week, after which a report can be released.

A team will be dispatched to survey the area's environment for additional data for the investigation, he said.

Samart said wild pachyderms and people had clashed in 22 places such as the Kui Buri Forest, Khaeng Krajan Forest, Khao Ang Reu Nai, Phu Khiew and Phu Luang.

His office will bring residents and local authorities together to talk so they do not harm the elephants.

The office will propose provincial "disaster-zone" funding to pay compensation to residents whose farms are destroyed by the elephants. If possible some forest that elephants use for food will be expropriated and farmers encouraged to switch to organic methods.

A meeting of interested parties including Princess Rangsri Noppadol-Yugala will be held on the issue on November 30, Samart said.

Other wildlife is also facing problems due to the deterioration of the environment and drought, forcing them to come out of the jungle to look for food in human habitats and farming areas, he said, adding that humans also encroached on forest and the office and other agencies along with residents were looking for solutions, possibly including land expropriation.

The Nation