The Thailand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) and the Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation, together with partner organisations, have called for an investigation into an incident in which a volunteer allegedly threw a firecracker at Plai Salika, a well-known wild elephant at Khao Yai National Park.
The move follows widespread criticism after photos and video of the incident, which occurred on 12 July 2026 near Ban Sarika at the entrance to Sarika Waterfall in Nakhon Nayok province, circulated on social media.
On 20 July 2026, the organisations submitted a letter to the chairman of the Animal Cruelty Prevention and Animal Welfare Committee, who is also the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, requesting an official investigation.
The groups urged authorities to establish the facts surrounding the incident and enforce relevant laws where appropriate.
They also called on the government to accelerate amendments to expand legal protections for animals living in the wild under Thailand’s Animal Cruelty Prevention and Animal Welfare Act B.E. 2557 (2014). They said broader protections should cover wildlife that frequently comes into contact with people, as well as other wild animals and imported species vulnerable to cruelty.
Park officials defend operation
Responding to the controversy, Chaiya Huaihongthong, chief of Khao Yai National Park, said the person seen using the pyrotechnic device was a member of the park’s rapid-response team assigned to monitor and drive wild elephants away from communities.
He said the video’s camera angle made the distance between officers and the elephant appear much closer than it actually was, insisting that personnel maintained a safe operating distance throughout the incident.
Chaiya thanked members of the public for raising concerns and said the park would use the incident to improve public communication and clarify operational guidelines.
He added that the park had appointed a committee to conduct a comprehensive fact-finding investigation, with the findings to be made public and used to improve future wildlife management procedures.
Officials say elephant was in musth
Sathaporn Theerawat, head of National Park Management Area 6, said Plai Salika had been regularly driven away from nearby communities, but had entered musth over the past two months, making the elephant more aggressive, less responsive to its surroundings and more likely to confront obstacles.
He said gentler methods that had previously proved effective were no longer sufficient.
According to park officials, Plai Salika had led a herd of more than 20 wild elephants into local durian orchards on the day of the incident, damaging crops and posing a risk to nearby residents.
Because of the urgency of preventing the herd from entering residential areas, officials said they opted to use a handheld pyrotechnic device instead of loud explosive deterrents.
They said the device produced a visual flash without a loud blast, allowing officers to briefly distract the elephant and interrupt its movement without causing hearing damage or physical injury.
The park said it had instructed operational teams and volunteers to review and improve their procedures, while increasing early monitoring of Plai Salika’s movements, conducting daily risk assessments with wildlife experts and working more closely with local communities to reduce food sources that attract elephants out of the forest.
