The Asian or Asiatic Elephant (Elephas maximus), is one of the three living species of elephant (worldwide), and the only living species of the genus Elephas. Asia is home to the 4 known living subspecies of Elephas, from the 25 known to science. All the world elephants are listed as endangered with habitat destruction being their main threat.

Elephas maximus indicusis the largest living land animal in Thailand. It is endangered, with up to 25,000 left in the world and approximately 1500 wild animals left in Thailand. This animal had been widely domesticated, and has been used in forestry in South and Southeast Asia for centuries. However, one must not mistake the supposed gentleness of the domesticated animals with the wild elephants. Wild elephants are perhaps the most dangerous mammal in Thailand and have killed humans in both Thap Lan National Park and Kaeng Krachan National Park, of Thailand, in recent years. They present an outstanding forcefulness and mastery of their territory to those lucky enough to see them in the wild. Thailand is blessed to have surviving wild populations of these magnificent creatures.

Here is a small sample of my sightings of wild elephants:

To see more images of wild elephants in Thailand, click here