This animal video came out of Thailand. In the animal video, an elephant was seen crashing through the wall of a kitchen. Apparently, the elephant was searching for food.
Ratchadawan Puengprasoppong shot the animal video on her mobile camera. Her sleep was broken after there was a lot of ruckus in the early morning on a Saturday. The Guardian reports that the incident took place in her house in southern Thailand’s Hua Hin.
Walls Could Not Keep The Elephant From His Food
The large Asian Elephant who was a male had a name: Boonchuay. His residence was also known. It was the national park in Kaeng Krachan. The intruding neighbor was caught on film forcing its huge tusks made of ivory through the building’s wall. It then used its agile and long trunk to rummage the cupboards and whatever it could find. It eventually found a rice bag made of plastic. Sensing what was in it, the elephant shoved the entire bag into his mouth.
Puengprasoppong later said that she had managed to shoo the elephant bull away with the help of her husband. It did not cause any more disturbances and promptly retreated into the woodlands nearby.
Now for the interesting part: this was not Boonchuay’s first visit! Apparently, the elephant bull had a history of paying visits to the village several times. It was usually lured in by the food smell coming from the market in the locality. This was all reported by Itthipon Thaimonkoi, the superintendent of the national park at Kaeng Krachan. Amazingly, Boonchuay had visited the home of Puengprasoppon as well once before.
Puengprasoppon explained that the elephant has a notorious reputation in its locality. The animal is known for being mischievous multiple times. He added that Boonchuay had come to their house somewhere around two months earlier. However, that time around he only looked around. Nothing was damaged or destroyed during the first visit.
The Visit Is Not Always Welcome
Dr. Joshua Plotnik explained that this is not an uncommon occurrence. Elephants have often been seen to break into homes while searching for food, especially in Thailand. Dr. Plotnik is an assistant psychology professor currently at New York City University. He said in his interview with The Guardian that he has the first-hand experience of this in the Thailand villages where he works. He says that elephants step into the crop fields of farmers there almost every night. As a result, the issue becomes rather difficult and dangerous for not only the elephants but the farmers as well.
Puengprasoppon, however, had followed the suggestions of the wildlife officers in the locality. She had not kept any cooked food exposed in her kitchen. However, Boonchuay still managed to find something. She said that the repairs of the wall will cost them nearly $2263. She did find the intruding elephant funny, but she is also worried about Boonchuay paying them another unwelcome visit.
Supanya Chengsutha, a conservation officer, said that the animals were likely lured in by the food’s smell and not because of hunger. She said that elephants have slowly started liking humans’ food. Of course, traps and hunters may have also forced them out.
Read: Prosthetic Legs Allows Baby Elephant To Walk Again In Northern Thailand
The darker side of the encounter is that both people and elephants lose their lives often because of such encounters. However, park officers and community officers work together to keep the giants outside the villages. Sometimes, loud noises are enough to do the trick. Plotnik also explained that the villagers respected the animals. But they are still frustrated and want a solution. Nevertheless, they usually do not blame the animals.
Currently, several international animal rights groups and activists are working on providing food and solutions to the problem.
