Elephant rips handler in half after heavy work and heat makes it ‘go crazy’

The elephant stabbed his handler with its tusks before tearing him apart

An elephant in Thailand ripped his 32-year-old handler in half after going "crazy" because of the extreme workload it was being given. Authorities believe the animal, called Pom Pam, had become frustrated at having to transport rubberwood at a plantation in southern Thailand's Phang Nga province in extreme heat. The elephant stabbed their handler Supachai Wongfaed with its tusks before pulling him apart. Wongfaed was eventually found by local police, the village chief, and rescue workers, ripped in two lying in a pool of blood. Pom Pam was shot by livestock officers with a sedative dart from 500 metres away, Thaiger reports. Police said the hot weather may have made the animal “go crazy” and subsequently attack and kill its owner. Locals told police they suspected that the elephant was stressed from work. Wongfaed was the son of the former mayor of the Khok Charoen subdistrict. [caption id="attachment_355544" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The elephant had reportedly become frustrated as a result of being overworked in extreme heat (KhaoSod)[/caption] It is rare for elephants to attack people, but they can become aggressive when they feel harassed, vulnerable or threatened. Earlier this year, an elephant trampled a woman to death in India, before returning and attacking her corpse at her funeral. According to local reports, 70-year-old Maya Murmu was innocently collecting water from a tubewell in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district in Eastern India on the morning of Thursday June 9. As per police reports, Murmu was attacked and subsequently killed by a wild elephant that had reportedly strayed from the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary which is located in a neighbouring state. The attack saw the animal trample Murmu, who was taken to a local hospital but unfortunately died of her injuries shortly after the incident took place, as relayed by Rasgovindpur policeman Lopamudra Nayak. Every year, 500 people are thought to be killed by elephants in India. Related links:

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