Elephant kills keeper, runs off into the jungle with tourist family

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An elephant in northern Thailand reportedly ‘went berserk’ when it attacked and killed its rider, before running off into the jungle with three terrified Chinese tourists still on its back. The Chinese family, two parents and their young child, were rescued soon after as other elephant keepers came to the rescue.
The police commander of Mae Wang district, Colonel Thawatchai Thepboon told AFP that "The mahout (elephant keeper) who was killed was Karen and he was not familiar with the elephant. They (the tourists) are safe now".

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Elephant rides are a popular and lucrative tourist activity in Thailand but many animal rights groups say it is cruel and stressful for the pachyderms. The elephant had not taken easily to his new keeper and turned on him suddenly, goring him to death, Channel 3 reported.
According to Yahoo news,  domestic elephants in Thailand -- where the pachyderm is a national symbol -- have been used en masse in the tourist trade since they found themselves unemployed in 1989 when logging was banned. Accidents are not unheard of. In June an elephant killed a Thai man and injured another as they were eating dinner at a beachside restaurant. The pair had been talking to the animal's mahout when it suddenly flipped.
Rights groups have documented the more unscrupulous mahouts using controversial techniques to crush the animal's spirit or severely overworking their rides to make more money.