The young elephant was given the new name of Pachi and is in good health. It appears tame and is friendly with people. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD
RATCHABURI : A local politician, a businessman and local authorities were behind the failed attempt to smuggle a young female elephant from Pachi River Wildlife Sanctuary in the province, says the national parks chief.
Damrong Pidech, chief of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, yesterday paid a visit to the five-year-old elephant that was confiscated from a group of Karen poachers on Tuesday.
The Karen were allegedly taking the young elephant to be sold to an elephant farm when rangers found them in the forest. The patrol team exchanged gunfire with the poachers. One Karenni was killed.
Mr Damrong said a politician in Kanchanaburi and a wealthy businessman in Saraburi had worked closely with officials in Ratchaburi province to smuggle the young jumbo, but to no avail.
He also said an ethnic Karen police officer is a key coordinator for the ring. The policeman "received an order for young elephants from farms and arrange for a poaching team to go catch them", he said.
"The jumbo must have been tamed for about one year. The trainer must be Karen, because the elephant understands the Karen language," Mr Damrong said.
Elephant farms usually ask for young elephants aged no more than three to five years because they are cuteand easy to train.
He declined to name those he thought were involved in the smuggling attempt.
However, he has asked the Livestock Development Department to help check elephant identification detailsat jumbo farms in Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Kanchanaburi provinces as the number of baby elephants in the farms has been growing suspiciously.
Mr Damrong said the young elephant must have come from Kaeng Krachan National Park as the Karenni killed during the clash with the forest patrol lived in a village in the park.
Pol Col Chartchai Suasaming, chief of Suan Phueng Police Station, is in charge of the case. He said the police officer to whom Mr Damrong referred was transferred to another district years ago after he was found to have a record of engaging in an illegal wildlife business.