Drone Finds More Dead Elephants That Fell Down Thai Waterfall

The number of elephants that fell to their death at a Thai waterfall has risen to 11.

On Sunday morning, an elephant calf fell over the Haew Narok (Hell's Fall) in Thailand’s Khao Yai National Park and died. After wildlife officials went to investigate, they found the carcasses of five other adult elephants who they think died trying to rescue the calf.

An investigation was launched using a drone to figure out how the elephants fell down the waterfall. This led authorities to find another five dead elephants in the area, the BBC reported.

The ravines at the national park fill up with water during the rainy season. Local official Badin Chansrikam told Reuters that they “understand that the elephants were trying to cross over to the other side of the river.”

“One of the smaller elephants might have slid and the adult ones were trying to rescue them but instead, were swept away by the water," he said.

Sompote Maneerat, a spokesperson for the national parks, wildlife and plant conservation department told The Guardian that the new bodies are believed to have come from the same herd as the previous six. He added that 11 is the highest number of elephant deaths in a single time in Khao Yai national park.

In 1992, eight elephants died after falling down the same waterfall. Currently, there are about 300 elephants in the park.

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