BANGKOK – A well-known elephant sanctuary in Thailand appealed for help on Friday after severe flash floods forced the evacuation of about a hundred elephants.
Videos and photos released by the Elephant Nature Park near the northern city of Chiang Mai show elephants wading through belly-deep water, the tips of their noses sticking out of the murky deluge like periscopes. Some were accompanied by staff members, with water lapping up to their chests.
The sanctuary, which also houses injured, neglected and elderly elephants and other rescued animals, said in a Facebook post that some elephants had been swept away by the flood and two were still missing.
“This year’s floods were the highest and most severe we have ever experienced,” Saengduean Lek Chailert, the founder of Elephant Nature Park, said in a statement. post on Instagram. “Even higher areas, such as the dog kennel for the disabled, were flooded, forcing us to evacuate them urgently.”
The strong flooding caused “significant” damage to large areas of the park’s trees and grasslands, Saengduean said. “In less than half an hour the water level rose rapidly and we worked tirelessly to get all the animals to safety.”
Staff member Pitsuda Masith told NBC News on Friday that nine of the park’s roughly 100 elephants still have not been evacuated, mostly males that are quite wild and not easy to move. Flood waters had dropped to about 10 to 6 feet, compared to 15 to 20 feet on Friday morning.
“The elephants are hanging there,” Masith said.
Food and other supplies for the nine remaining elephants must be sent by boat because some areas are inaccessible to trucks, she said. The rescued elephants will go to the mountains where they will be safe from the floods.
Another staff member said about 30 foreign volunteers, including some Americans, who had been stuck at the shelter had now gotten out safely and were staying in a hotel.
The park called for help and more volunteers to join the rescue operation as roads in both directions are completely closed.
“What we need most now are boats, cages for small animals and waterproof tarps, as the area is completely flooded and we can only move them to the mountains,” the park said on Instagram.
In addition, the park said it had lost electricity and telephone network coverage.
In recent weeks, northern Thailand has suffered severe flooding and landslides Typhoon Yagithe most powerful storm to hit Asia this year. The tropical storm flooded thousands of homes and killed hundreds of people in Southeast Asia, including 46 in Thailand.
Elephant Nature Park was established in 2003 as a permanent sanctuary for elephants rescued by Saengduean from the logging and tourism industries.
Nat Sumon reported from Bangkok and Peter Guo from Hong Kong.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
