BANGKOK, June 20 (Xinhua) -- A farmer was stomped and gored to death by a wild elephant and his wife narrowly escaped death in northeastern Thailand's Buriram, police said on Thursday.
The man, 26, was found dead at his plantation with his guts hanging out when police and rescue workers arrived at the scene in early Thursday. Wounds were found on his chest.
His wife said her family and 10 workers went to harvest the cassava in the plantation and only the couple slept there at night as they planned to spray pesticides the next morning.
Three wild elephant foraging for food approached the tent where they slept. One of the pachyderms came across the man and gored him with its single tusk, killing him instantly, according to the woman.
The woman hid under a nearby truck and managed to escaped.
It is estimated that about 3,500 domesticated elephants live in Thailand and roughly 3,340 wild elephants live in 69 wildlife sanctuaries and national parks across the country.
Violent rampages by Thai elephants are regular occurrence in the Southeast Asian country where forest cover fell dramatically by the late 90s and takes up only 31 percent of the nation's landmass.
Elephant attacks have put the relationship between Thai people and jumbos in spotlights.
