An elephant in northern Thailand went berserk Wednesday, killing his "mahout" keeper before running off into the jungle with three terrified Chinese tourists still on his back, police said.
"The mahout who was killed was Karen and he was not familiar with the elephant. They (the tourists) are safe now," Colonel Thawatchai Thepboon, police commander of Mae Wang district in Chiang Mai province, told AFP.
The Karen are an ethnic minority common in northern Thailand.
Police said the incident took place at 9.30am (0230 GMT) as a Chinese family of three -- a father, mother and a young child -- took a ride on the back of a male elephant.
Rides are a popular and lucrative tourist activity but many animal rights groups say it is cruel and stressful for the pachyderms.
The elephant had not taken easily to his new keeper and turned on him suddenly, goring him to death, Channel 3 reported.
The channel broadcast footage of the three frightened tourists being led back to camp still on the elephant's back once it had been calmed down by other mahouts and their rides.
Thailand's roughly 4,000 domesticated elephants outnumber an estimated 2,500 remaining in the wild.
Domestic elephants in Thailand -- where the pachyderm is a national symbol -- have been used en masse in the tourist trade since they found themselves unemployed in 1989 when logging was banned.
Accidents are not unheard of. In June an elephant killed a Thai man and injured another as they were eating dinner at a beachside restaurant. The pair had been talking to the animal's mahout when it suddenly flipped.
Rights groups have documented the more unscrupulous mahouts using controversial techniques to crush the animal's spirit or severely overworking their rides to make more money.
"Elephants work every day, of every month, basically 365 days per year," Edwin Wiek, a campaigner from Wildlife Friends of Thailand told AFP.
"If you had to do the same, you would get stressed. It is the same for elephants. At some point they become crazy and we can't control them."
The accident comes as Thailand's tourism industry reels from last week's bombing of a religious shrine in Bangkok, an attack that killed 20 people, mostly ethnic Chinese devotees from across Asia.
AFP
Wed Aug 26 2015
Police said the incident took place at 9.30am (0230 GMT) as a Chinese family of three -- a father, mother and a young child -- took a ride on the back of a male elephant. - AFP Photo
Pendekatan berhemah, waspada perlu dalam kes babitkan wartawan Bloomberg - Johan Jaaffar
Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar menggesa pihak polis untuk mengambil pendekatan berhemah, penuh waspada dan penuh pemahaman dalam mengendalikan kes membabitkan seorang wartawan Bloomberg, Ram Anand.
Filipina, AS tembak 'tentera penceroboh' dalam latihan di Laut China Selatan
Tentera Amerika Syarikat dan Filipina melepaskan tembakan peluru berpandu dan artileri ke arah pasukan 'tentera penceroboh' dalam latihan perang di pantai utara Filipina pada Isnin.
Rakaman dashcam puting beliung di Nebraska
Visual yang anda saksikan tadi adalah rakaman video kamera papan pemuka (dashcam) yang menunjukkan detik puting beliung di Nebraska pada 26 April lalu.
Rakaman itu menunjukkan puting beliung dahsyat itu memusnahkan bangunan di Lincoln di Nebraska.
Rakaman itu menunjukkan puting beliung dahsyat itu memusnahkan bangunan di Lincoln di Nebraska.
Kenakan sekatan, hanti eksport senjata ke Israel - OIC
Pertubuhan Kerjasama Islam (OIC) mengecam 'pembunuhan beramai-ramai' di Gaza dan menggesa 57 negara anggotanya mengenakan sekatan ke atas Israel dalam resolusi yang diterima pakai pada penghujung sidang kemuncaknya di Gambia pada 5 Mei.
Qantas Airways sedia bayar penalti 100 juta dolar Australia
Qantas Airways berkata pada Isnin bersetuju untuk membayar penalti sebanyak A$100 juta dolar Australia untuk menyelesaikan tuntutan mahkamah susulan kes menjual tiket yang telah dibatalkan.
Putin angkat sumpah untuk penggal kelima pada selasa
Majlis itu yang dijadualkan berlangsung di Kremlin, menandakan permulaan penggal selama enam tahun untuk pentadbiran Putin yang memenangi 87 peratus undi semasa Pilihan Raya Presiden yang berlangsung pada Mac.
Faisal kini dirawat di ICU, perlu jalani beberapa pembedahan
Pemain skuad kebangsaan, Faisal Halim, kini menjalani rawatan di Unit Rawatan Rapi (ICU) susulan kejadian disimbah asid di sebuah pasar raya di Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya.
Jemaah wanita dinasihat kurangkan pergerakan jika disahkan hamil
Ada nasihat siberikan Pengarah Operasi Madinah (Perubatan) Dr Mahyin Kudong kepada jemaah haji wanita yang disahkan hamil semasa musim haji baik sebelum atau selepas tiba di Tanah Suci.
Anak akan rindu nyanyian 'live' Hail Amir
Ridauddin Daud, Wartawan Astro AWANI
Polis tingkat kawalan keselamatan pemain TFC
Polis Terengganu meningkatkan kawalan keselamatan terhadap pemain Terengganu FC susulan insiden serangan yang menimpa dua pemain bola sepak tempatan minggu lalu.
Sedihnya... enam gajah ini mati akibat terjatuh ke kaki air terjun
Enam ekor yang mati itu termasuklah seekor anak gajah berusia tiga tahun.