Chinese tour guide trampled to death by rampaging elephant in Thailand
Guide died saving member of his tour party from angry elephant
A Chinese tour guide has been killed by a rampaging elephant that attacked a group of tourists in Thailand.
He Yongjie, 35, tried to pull away a tourist who was being attacked by an elephant but was kicked away and trampled to death at the Sam Liam Thong Kham elephant camp near Pattaya on Thursday.
Local police said that the 17-year-old elephant named Plai Uthen attacked after being prodded by its mahout and had also been surrounded by He’s tour group who were taking photos, PearVideo reported.
However, the Bangkok Post reported that one of the tourists had pulled the elephant’s tail which angered the animal.
A number of Chinese witnesses later denied in interviews with state media that this had happened.
A man who was riding on the animal at the time told cqnews.net that He, who worked for a Chongqing tour agency, was trying to save a tourist from his group when he was kicked into a nearby ditch and trampled on by the elephant.