In a riveting turn of events straight from the heart of Khao Yai National Park’s lush expanses, wildlife officials find themselves embroiled in a controversial case involving a majestic wild elephant, affectionately known as “Plai Biang Lek,” or “Wong Thong.” On the evening of June 19, the tranquility of the park was disrupted when wildlife rangers and volunteers, engaged in their routine task of guiding wandering elephant herds away from nearby farms, encountered an unexpected adversary. A landowner, carrying a shotgun, accompanied their shouts with the reverberating booms of fired rounds, echoing both in the air and the earth, in a bid to ward off the approaching giants. The serene scene of Ban Nong Makrut in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district suddenly turned tumultuous. When a courageous volunteer captured the incident with a quick snap of the camera and scooped up the spent shotgun shells, a chilling new narrative began…
