Unveiling the “Community Wild Elephants” of Khao Yai, Part 7:
Getting to Know “Phlai Chamcha,” the Youngest Member of the Mu Si Gang
Having emerged from the forest into the Khao Yai community less than a year ago, Phlai Chamcha has received special care and attention from the older elephants who came out before him.
He is estimated to be no more than 10 years old, standing a little over two meters tall.
After Chamcha was driven out of his herd, the young elephant wandered aimlessly until he reached the boundary between the forest edge and the outskirts of town. Even so, Chamcha’s first steps into this new world were not entirely lonely. In the beginning, he had Pa Duan, the elder of Mu Si, closely looking after him for about a week before letting the inexperienced young elephant set out to explore the world on his own.
The name Chamcha likely came from the time he first came down from the forest, when he often settled around the national park boundary to feed on rain tree pods in the Kut Khla and Hew Pla Kang communities. Later, he gradually began expanding his range, following the older elephants in the Mu Si gang.
As the youngest member, Chamcha can move along with any of the older elephants. More importantly, the older elephants are very protective of him. For that reason, when officers need to push him back into the forest, they must proceed with extra caution.
At present, Chamcha can be recognized by his juvenile elephant form, as he has not yet fully grown. He has short, straight tusks.
As for aggression, rated from 1 to 5 stars from low to high in the event of a threat, the volunteer team and officers say they still cannot give him a rating. He is still a young elephant whose response is mostly fear.
As for the difficulty of pushing him back into the forest, rated from 1 to 5 stars from easy to difficult depending on the area, everyone gives this a 1-star rating. Chamcha is still not used to people and remains highly wary. When a light is shone at him, he runs away. The difficult part is that
when he flees, he does not move in a predictable direction, like someone who panics and does not know where to go.
At an age when an elephant is still young and has little experience, if officers can carry out their plan without mistakes, at the very least, a problem that could become serious may be kept small. Khaoyai Connect would therefore like to offer encouragement to the volunteer teams and officers, wishing them strength of heart as they continue working tirelessly for the Khao Yai community.
Until the best possible solution for both people and elephants can be found in the future.
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