Elephant kills tourist in Thailand national park, third death linked to the same animal

A wild male elephant killed a tourist in Khao Yai National Park in central Thailand on Monday, a park official said, the third death involving the same animal.

The 65-year-old Thai tourist from Lopburi province was out for a morning walk with his wife when he was trampled to death by an elephant named Oyewan, national park chief Chaiya Huayhongthong told News.

His wife managed to escape after park rangers chased the animal away, Chaiya said.

“He was the third person killed by Oyewan,” he said, adding that the wild bull elephant could have been responsible for several more deaths that remain unsolved.

Chaiya said authorities will meet on Friday to decide what to do with the elephant.

“We will probably decide to relocate him or change his behavior,” he said, without elaborating.

More than 220 people, including tourists, have been killed by wild elephants since 2012, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

The number of wild elephants in Thailand rose from 334 in 2015 to nearly 800 last year, prompting authorities to administer contraceptive vaccines to females in an effort to control their rising population.

A An elephant killed a Spanish tourist while bathing the animal at a sanctuary in southern Thailand in January last year.

Another tourist was killed by an elephant in a national park in Loei province, northern Thailand, in December 2024.

Fatal elephant attacks have recently occurred in other parts of the world.

Last month, Indian officials said a wild elephant was to blame. killing at least 20 people and injured 15 others in the forests of Jharkhand.

Last July, two women from the United Kingdom and New Zealand were killed by an elephant during a walking safari in Zambia.

In April 2025, officials from Kenya He said a 54-year-old man was killed by an elephant in the central part of the country.

In January of last year, a tourist was delicate by an elephant in South Africa’s famous Kruger Park.