Floods devastate a Thai area known for its elephant parks

Apple stuck her trunk out of the rushing river like a snorkel, paddling desperately to stay afloat. But the 15-year-old elephant, which weighs a ton, was unable to cope with the massive floods that submerged Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second-largest city, last week. By the time a team of rescuers saw her, she had been swept more than a mile downriver.

“It was sad to see a very strong animal struggling to stay afloat,” rescuer Basset Insamran said, describing the incident on Friday. “We kept screaming at her, hoping that she would follow the sound and have the strength to swim closer to shore so we could rescue her.”

Apple was a resident of Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary that is a hotspot for tourists. Flash floods quickly inundated the park. Mahut, or elephant herders, like Mr. Bassett, gathered from other camps and rushed to the scene by boat. They managed to rescue Apple, but two of the elephants from the sanctuary died.

Monsoon rains often wreak havoc in Thailand, but floods have been particularly severe this year, due to climate change and a La Niña weather pattern. Authorities said the Ping River flooded Chiang Mai, killing two people. Officials are now warning of potential dangers in central Thailand, including parts of Bangkok near the Chao Phraya River.

Last week, authorities issued evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people in northern Thailand. Outside Chiang Mai, some people were rescued from their homes by boats. Within the city limits, residents had to wade through waist-deep water to dry off. Water levels in other areas rose to 10 feet, or about 3 meters, high enough to submerge the average elephant in Thailand, the country’s national animal.

One of the places hit by the floods was Mae Taeng, which is usually located about a two-hour drive north of Chiang Mai. With more than 500 elephants and 49 parks, it has the largest concentration of elephants catering to tourists in Thailand, according to the National Elephant Institute.

Last week, floods forced the Elephant Nature Park, the largest reserve in the region, to evacuate 126 elephants, as well as hundreds of other animals including dogs, cats, goats, cows and buffalo. Park workers herded the elephants to what they thought was safe high ground. But those areas were under water within minutes. Thirty elephants were trapped in the flood, and some were struggling to stay afloat.

The ensuing images of elephants wading in the water and the news that two female elephants – 16-year-old Pha Sai and 38-year-old Ploy Thong, who was blind – had drowned unleashed a torrent of criticism directed at Elephant Nature Park. It was the only sanctuary to have its elephants flooded and the only one to lose any. Faa Sai and Ploy Thong were found in floodwaters about 3 miles from the park on Saturday.

The founder of the sanctuary blamed the ferocity of the flood. “The water rose very quickly and it was very muddy,” said Saengdwin Chailert, who also owns the park. She also defended herself, saying: “Evacuating more than 100 elephants is not an easy task.”

Some elephants, such as Apple, were rescued by drivers from other parks. It was a risky endeavor because interacting with new animals is difficult even for the most experienced handlers.

“Working with unknown elephants is very difficult,” said Dang Nalti, one of the rescuers. “But seeing them scared and exhausted, it was devastating, and we knew we had to save them.”

There are about 3,800 elephants in captivity in Thailand and almost all of them are involved in the tourism trade. It is believed that about 3,000 of them exist in the wild in the country.

By Tuesday, the waters in Mae Taeng had receded. What was once green was covered in a thick layer of clay. Logs and wood used for shelters were scattered in the mud. Uprooted trees piled up on the beaches.

But some elephant parks have been able to reopen and tourists are riding and feeding the animals again. Others are still cleaning up, and several elephants are still stuck at the top of the hill. Workers said many of them were in shock and did not want to be anywhere near water.