A gaur was found dead in Kui Buri National Park on Sunday June 20, park officials have announced.
The carcass of the gaur (Indian bison) was found by officers from the Park Protection Unit while they were patrolling along the Hup Tawit to Huai Thai Bo route.
The carcass was of a male gaur understood to be aged between 15 – 20 years old and weighing about 1,200-1,300 kg. It is thought the animal had been dead for for about 2-3 days.
As part of the investigation into the death of the gaur, a veterinarian at the Huai Sai Wildlife Breeding Station found a wound of approximately 3 centimetres below its chest.
It had also suffered injuries to its back consistent with being in a fight with another gaur.
An autopsy will take place while samples samples will be collected for lab tests in order to determine the cause of death.
Kui Buri National Park is home to scores of wild gaurs and elephants.
However, the park itself has had somewhat of a chequered past.
In the late 1990s it was home to one of the largest pineapple plantations in Thailand.
But after gaurs and elephants kept on eating the pineapples, farmers started poisoning, electrocuting and killing the animals in order to protect their crops.
The park was later closed and has since undergone a successful period of environmental and wildlife conservation, including a 12,000 rai of land made into a dedicated food zone to allow the animals to feed away from the land used for farming.
Today, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) now work with locals and farmers to ensure the safety of the wild animals who roam the park.
 was found dead in Kui Buri National Park on Sunday June 20, park officials have announced.){kind=link}