A heartbroken baby elephant was found guarding her dead mother’s body after she ate poisonous crops in Thailand.
The 11-month-old elephant Park Mae Mae escaped her enclosure with her mother Moke Chue, 31, and wandered into a plantation to feed on the corn in Tak province on April 22.
The orphaned Park Mae Mae was discovered by Thai villagers on April 23, around 12 hours after her mother died, refusing to leave the elephant’s corpse. Footage shows the confused baby elephant beside her collapsed mother
The heartbroken baby elephant is seen guarding her dead mother’s body after she ate poisonous crops in Thailand
Elephant Conservation Foundation chairman Sangduean Chailert said: ‘We have sent a team to start an inquiry in the village.
‘The baby and another adult elephant who was found with them were taken to a facility to be monitored in case they ate some of the poisonous corn too.’
Pak Mae Mae and her mother used to live in an elephant camp catering to tourists, but due to Covid-19, their mahout had to return home with them as it had lost income.
The mother unknowingly ate crops that were heavily-sprayed with pesticides and fertilisers, which are believed to have poisoned the adult jumbo. Pictured: The baby elephant stands next to her mother’s body