Khao Yai waterfall closed after deaths of 2 more elephants
Khao Yai National Park has closed its Haew Narok (Hell's Ravine) waterfall, a popular tourist destination, for two months after two wild elephants fell to their death at the beauty spot on Tuesday (July 26).
The waterfall was declared off-limits on Thursday and will stay closed until September 30, according to the national park’s chief, Chaiya Huaihongthong.
He said frequent flash floods in the area during rainy season posed threats to tourists and wild animals feeding near waterways.
Park officials also needed to close the waterfall to remove the carcasses of the two elephants found there following torrential rain, the chief said.
The elephants are believed to have fallen down the 150-metre-high waterfall. At least 27 elephants have been found dead at Haew Narok since 1986 when the first death at the falls was recorded.
Haew Narok has three tiers and is the largest and highest waterfall in Khao Yai.
The waterfall is normally closed for two months from August 1 to allow the local flora and fauna to recover. However, this year it has been closed four days earlier.
