An elephant was found dead after suffering a suspected electric shock from a fence protecting a fruit farm.
The adult animal was found by locals slumped on the ground in Prachuap Khiri Khan, southern Thailand on June 6 afternoon.
Park rangers were informed and arrived to examine the jumbo. They found burn marks on the jumbo's trunk and no metal was detected.
Officials confiscated an electric generator nearby as evidence and called the mango grove owner to question them about the electric fence.
Land owners Komsak Sithadee, 30, and Siamrath Moyai, 29, allegedly admitted that they use electric fences but they are not sure if the jumbo was electrocuted by them as there are others in the area.
They said: "Normally, our generator would stop working after it has touched something but when we checked, the generator was still working. So we don't know if the elephant touched our electric fence or another."
The rangers had the vet team dissect the elephant and collect the elephant's organs for a post-mortem examination to confirm the cause of death.
Head ranger Rakpong Boonyoi said that if the result shows that the jumbo was electrocuted the land owners will be charged
He said: "We will interrogate the owners of the fruit grove for more information to check if they were involved in the death of the jumbo. If they are, we will have to charge them for harming the animal."
