A daring highway robbery committed by a herd of elephants may finally prompt authorities to close a road that cuts through one of Thailand's wildlife sanctuaries, at least to night traffic.
"There have been many accidents on this road, leading to the deaths of thousands of animals, but this was the first highway robbery by elephants we've recorded," said Yoo Senatham, chief of the Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary in Chachoengsao province, 100km east of Bangkok.
On January 6, at 9pm, a herd of 11 elephants blocked a convoy of trucks travelling on Route 3259 that cuts through the sanctuary and proceeded to rob the vehicles of their loads of sugarcane and tapioca, said Yoo in a telephone interview.
PHOTO: EPA
"Park officials were sent to the spot to scare the elephants away but the animals were very aggressive and didn't want to leave the loot," said Yoo.
There are an estimated 180 wild elephants in the 103,000-hectare sanctuary.
Over the past five years three people and 14,408 wild animals have died in car accidents on Route 3259, with most of the accidents occurring at night.
Yoo, who has been lobbying authorities to close the road to night traffic for years, said the closure might be the only way to avoid more elephant highway robberies.
"These elephants are getting very aggressive, so I have suggested that the safest thing to do is close the road at night," he said. (DPA)
明目張膽的大象公路搶案，終於可能促使有關單位關閉一條穿越泰國野生動物保護區的道路，至少是夜間交通。
距曼谷東方一百公里的北柳省Khao Ang Rue Nai野生動物保護區園長余．山納桑說︰「這條道路意外頻傳，造成數千頭動物死亡，但這是第一樁登記有案的大象公路洗劫案。」
余園長接受電話訪問時表示，一月六日晚間九點，十一頭大象攔下了一列行駛於3259公路的卡車車隊。這條公路穿越這處保護區。大象將卡車裝載的甘蔗與樹薯粉洗劫一空。
他說︰「園區警方被派往現場阻嚇大象，但大象非常兇惡，不願放棄戰利品。」
這個佔地十萬三千公頃的保護區，估計有一百八十隻野生象。
五年來已有三人與一萬四千四百零八隻動物因3259公路車禍喪命，車禍大多發生在夜間。
數年來一直遊說相關單位在夜間關閉這條公路的余園長認為，道路封閉是避免一再發生大象公路搶案的唯一方法。
他說︰「這些大象愈來愈有攻擊性，所以我建議，最安全之道就是關閉夜間公路。」
（德通社/翻譯：賴美君）
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