Thai ivory poachers kill 50-year-old elephant that featured in royal processions and Oliver Stone movie Alexander inside sanctuary

An elephant which appeared in Oliver Stone’s epic movie Alexander has been killed by poachers in Thailand..

The 50-year-old elephant was poisoned by poachers who then sawed-off its tusks at the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace.

As well as appearing in the movie starring Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie the elephant named Klao was found dead yesterday at the nature reserve.

The elephant was worth £70,000 according to local media reports. The Bangkok Post reported that Thai police arrested one man who is believed to be a drug addict in connection with the crime.

They found poisoned bananas at the scene which were used to kill the beast before the one metre long tusks were removed.

Police believe that the poaching gang were amateurs as they failed to remove all of the tusk. It is understood they used an electric power saw to cut through the ivory.

The facility’s manager Laithongrian Meephan admitted that the animal was probably poisoned before it was mutilated.


He said the centre breeds and trains elephants and also acts as a retirement home for the animals who are revered in Thai culture. Although the country is also a major transport hub and destination for the illegal trade.

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