Elephant shot dead, head ripped off ‘for ivory’ at Narathiwat national park
Sipo Waterfall National Park officials believe a carcass of a headless elephant that was found in the park in Narathiwat was the ghastly work of ivory traders.
On September 14, park officials were notified of the appalling incident by the Ban Chue Ko village headman in Si Sakhon district and promptly went to investigate.
They found the carcass of the 15-year-old male elephant in a canal and had to drag the dead animal back up on the bank before conducting an autopsy.
A forensic team said the elephant was killed at least two weeks ago. They found evidence that it was shot dead by bullets though no bullet was found at the scene.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said on its official Facebook page that the elephant’s head and tail were missing, leading to the belief that the animal was killed for its tusks.
