Monk trampled to death by wild elephants after refusing to move tent as he 'was enjoying the peace'

A Buddhist monk was trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants at a spiritual retreat - after refusing to move his tent.

Phra Prapop Chanphaikhor had been spending 19 nights in the jungle contemplating religious teachings.

The 25-year-old ad almost successfully reached the end of the period of seclusion.

But he defied warnings from local elephant trackers that there were wild bulls approaching the area and he refused to move his tent for the last two nights of his retreat.

He told them that he enjoyed the "peaceful atmosphere" and refused to leave - even though locals had warned him was meditating in the middle of a route often used by the herds.

Tragically, Prapop was found dead with broken ribs, arms, and legs near his meditation tent at the palm plantation in Chachoengsao, central Thailand last Wednesday morning.

The village leader Somjit Sathuchard was the first who found the dead the body of the monk lying in the wrecked plantation. It had been dragged 15 metres from his tent.

Rescue workers took his body to Tha Takiab Hospital, where doctors said he had been dead for at least six hours, which suggests he was trampled in the early hours of the morning.

Village leader Somjit told the police that Prapop settled his tent in the area for two nights with the other monk. But one had already moved since they were told the place was the passageway of hundred of elephants.

She said: "Villagers already warned them that it was dangerous to stay overnight here. On Monday we also suggested them to move but Prapop refused because he liked the peaceful atmosphere here."

It was presumed that fifteen elephants were walking in the jungle in the middle of the night for food before unintentionally stomping on the monk as his temporary shelter obstructed their usual passage.

The village leader also said that this was not the first time the wild elephants disturbed humans and several locals had been injured by them in recent years.

She said: "The wild herds recently started to settle around the plantations and fields, destroyed agricultural products, and hurt people. They also did not return to their natural habitat.

"We contacted the wildlife officers to discuss and find the way to solve the serious issue before these elephants become too aggressive to handle."

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