A disturbing video from Thailand shows a distressed elephant named Plai Tongkhun collapsing after being brutally beaten while forced onto a truck in the Surin province on November 17.
The footage captures the elephant struggling to climb a ramp onto the vehicle while a mahout, or elephant handler, rides the animal.
Several men with bullhooks, tools with sharp metal ends used to control elephants by jabbing sensitive areas, surrounded the truck.
When Plai Tongkhun collapsed, the handlers tied ropes around the elephant’s body and legs to lift him back up.
After motionlessness, the elephant regained consciousness and stood back up, allowing the mahout to remain.
It is believed that the elephant’s agitation was due to being in musth, a state of heightened aggression caused by hormonal changes during mating season, which typically lasts until early January.
An onlooker, Sujitta Jumjit, explained: “Plai Tongkhun was in musth, and the caretakers were trying to return him to the camp. His eye was partially blinded by secretions from musth, which may have caused him to lose balance and fall. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, and the elephant rests safely at the camp.”
Musth, which occurs in male elephants during mating season, increases hormone levels and heightened testosterone, often leading to aggressive behavior. During this period, adult male elephants can become more irritable and may engage in conflicts with other males.
Elephants are Thailand’s national animal, with approximately 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild. These animals mainly inhabit the country’s forests and national parks.
While they are protected under Thai law, which penalizes killing an elephant with up to three years in prison and a fine of 1,000 baht (£23), some elephants are kept in captivity for tourism and religious purposes.
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