On July 17, 2024, at 2:30 AM, tragedy struck in Tha Takiap, Chachoengsao province, as Mr. Bunmee, a 50-year-old rubber tapper from Paet Riw, met a fatal end colliding with a wild elephant. Mr. Bunmee and his wife were on their routine rubber collection early morning when they encountered the elephant on a forest edge near their village. His wife, thrown from the vehicle during the collision, lay unconscious for hours before seeking help from nearby villagers.
The incident occurred on a dirt path, 1 km from the village intersection, leading into the rubber plantation forests. Evidence recovered at the scene included Mr. Bunmee’s Yamaha motorcycle, discarded with a spilled bucket of rubber balls nearby. His body, found at house number 223 in village number 7 of Tha Takiap, revealed fatal injuries, including a severe ivory wound to the back and a long gash on his right side.
Authorities, led by Pol. Lt. Col. Kansawan Traibutr, deputy inspector from Tha Takiap police station, conducted an autopsy confirming the ivory’s penetration and tracked elephant prints measuring 40-45 cm in diameter near the waterlogged terrain.
Mrs. Dokrak, Mr. Bunmee’s wife, recounted the harrowing moments leading to the collision, describing how they encountered the elephant while driving back from collecting rubber. The impact ejected Mr. Bunmee, leaving him unconscious as Mrs. Dokrak sought help, eventually discovering her husband fatally wounded by the elephant.
Following the incident, community leaders and rescue volunteers from Phanom Sarakham were mobilized to transport Mr. Bunmee’s body to Tha Takiab Hospital for further examination and preparation for traditional rites.