Bangkok: The tusks are gone! A wild elephant in Khao Yai National Park has died, leaving only its carcass. The Director-General of the Department of National Parks has ordered the "Phaya Suea" (Tiger) task force to investigate the cause of death of a wild elephant with its tusks missing. It is suspected that the tusks were either illegally hunted for their parts or removed from the carcass.

According to Thai News Agency, the decaying carcass of a wild elephant is believed to have been dead for at least a month. A key suspicious detail is the absence of both tusks, while the skeleton and teeth remain intact. Mr. Atthapol Charoenchansa, Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, ordered the Phaya Suea Special Operations Unit and the Wildlife Conservation Office to deploy personnel to investigate after the discovery of several dead wild elephants in three provinces: Nakhon Nayok, Chanthaburi, and Kanchanaburi. The carcasses were found by patrol officers while on duty. Only the skeleton remained, and upon examination, the tusks were missing from the skull. The Nakhon Nayok City Police were contacted to assist in the investigation and collection of evidence at the scene, using a bullet detection device to examine the remains.

Based on the veterinary team's assessment of the elephant's death, it is suspected that it was ill, as cracks and depressions were found at the base of its tusks. It is believed that a fight between elephants may have resulted in infected wounds, potentially causing its death. Officials have sprinkled lime on the elephant's skeleton to disinfect it and will then cremate the remains according to National Parks regulations. Meanwhile, National Parks officials are urging anyone who took the tusks to contact them to return them. If they are too afraid to return them, they can leave them at the location and provide their coordinates for the department to collect.