Tour guide fined for alleged violation of safety regulations

A Thai tour guide has been fined by the Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi province for alleged violation of safety regulations by allowing tourists to get off the vehicle to take photos of a black panther at close range.

Sermsuk (last name withheld), was fined 5,000 baht for violating the park regulations, plus another 1,000 baht for not cooperating with park officers, Mongkol Chaipakdee, chief of Kaeng Krachan National Park, said on Friday.

Repeating the offence will incur a fine of 20,000 baht, which will be increased to 100,000 baht plus a permanent revocation of the offender’s tour guide licence on the third time, he said.

Mongkol said the park had investigated the issue following a social media post on Tuesday showing a group of visitors to the park getting off their vehicle to take photos of wildlife.

Investigators said the incident took place near Panoenthung Mountain, which is the tallest peak in Kaeng Krachan. The guide reportedly allowed four tourists to leave the vehicle to take photos of a black panther they had spotted earlier.

Sermsuk allegedly also invited tourists on other vehicles to do the same, said Mongkol, adding that such an action is a violation of the park’s safety regulations.

“I would like to remind both tour operators and tourists that getting off the vehicle to take close-up photos of wildlife is not only dangerous to the tourists but can also disturb and potentially impact the behaviour of wild animals, which are valuable national resources that we must all help conserve,” he said.

Kaeng Krachan is Thailand’s largest national park, covering an area of up to 2,915 square kilometres. It straddles Phetchaburi’s Kaeng Krachan and Nong Ya Plong districts as well as the Hua Hin district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

The park, which boasts a pristine rainforest and rich biodiversity, was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2021.