MORE than 5,000 large animals are trapped in the heavily-flooded Elephant Nature Park at Chiang Mai’s Mae Taeng district since 4 p.m. yesterday (Oct. 3) with torrential rain and fast-flowing floodwaters preventing officials from entering the area, Amarin Tv said this afternoon.
Ms. Saengduean “Lek” Chailert, founder of Save Elephant Foundation and Elephant Nature Park, said in a Facebook post that flash floods have swamped the latter park and her team had to evacuate several jumbos and other animals.
All volunteers had to wade through the floodwaters to rescue as many animals as possible because every life must be safe, she added.
The floodwaters flowing down the mountain are over three metres high and officials too are rushing to evacuate over a hundred elephants to rented fruit orchards not far from Elephant Nature Park along with thousands of sick and disabled dogs, cats, and rabbits kept in cages with Mae Taeng river still rising.
The situation is critical with the animals floating and waiting for help.
Over 20 volunteer tourists and more than a hundred staff members are trapped in this park as they continue helping the animals. The water level is 2.5 metres high and in some areas it is as high as four metres, swamping roofs, with floodwaters still flowing fast.
Saengduan said she is going into the park after having coordinated with all agencies to help out and set up a coordination centre Ban Chang subdistrict administrative organisation office.
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Some of the animals trapped at the badly flooded Elephant Nature Park. Photos: Amarin TV
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