Thailand: Cats and elephants threatened by monsoon flood

Thai authorities have started evacuating the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, which is home to thousands of rescued animals, due to severe flooding.

Flooding in northern Thailand sent many residents of the temple city of Chiang Mai and its outskirts looking for safety outside their homes on Friday, with animals living nearby also forced to seek higher ground as heavy monsoon rains battered the region.

The world-famous tourist destination is home to 115,000 residents and is the largest city in northern Thailand. Local authorities said the Ping River, which flows through the city, had reached an all-time high.

Evacuations had begun at the Elephant Nature Park, which houses some 3,000 rescued animals, among them 125 elephants, 800 dogs, 2,500 cats, 200 rabbits and 200 cows.

The latest floods, fueled by monsoon rains, come just weeks after Typhoon Yagi flooded entire city neighborhoods in Thailand.

Dozens of elephants reported to be missing

Footage posted online showed several animals in the Elephant Nature Park fleeing through rising, muddy water.

Several animals, including a buffalo, had been swept away by the deluge, according to local media. The Khaosod newspaper quoted the founder of the Friends of Asian Elephants foundation as saying that at least one elephant had already drowned while 30 more were still missing.

Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, however, said 117 elephants had been rescued and many smaller animals, including cats and dogs, had also been brought to safety.

The Thai capital of Bangkok is located just above the sea level and has suffered greatly from climate change in recent years, with the metropolitan region of around 15 million inhabitants being threatened by heavy rainfall and flooding.

jsi/dj (AP, dpa)