A three-year-old elephant was found dead with a gunshot wound in its backside just a week after conservationists rescued it from a poacher's trap.

The male youngster was seen limping through the jungle in Chanthaburi, Thailand, on Nov 11 with an infected wound on its front right foot, which it had been carrying for several months.

Wildlife workers caught the bull and successfully removed the rope. It was given antiseptic for a deep wound on its ankle before coming round from its tranquilliser-induced slumber and taking flight into the forest.

Conservationists had been trying to track the fragile elephant, which had become separated from its herd.

But tragically, the pachyderm was heard wailing this morning before finally collapsing. Horrified workers found shotgun pellets in the top of it its right hind leg.

Buddhist monks performed a funeral ceremony for the elephant and police are now investigating the death. They suspect that an angry local from one of the rural villages might have shot the creature after it strayed onto their farmland.

Padet Laitong, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Department, said: ''The baby elephant was found with bullets in its hindquarters. The back of the right leg has obvious swelling and with many abrasions.

''We found that this was lead pellets from a shotgun. The hindquarters of the right leg also had a crooked fracture.''

A three-year-old elephant was found dead with a gun shot wound in its backside - just a week after conservationists rescued it from a poacher's trap.

The male youngster was seen limping through the jungle in Chanthaburi, Thailand, on Nov 11 with an infected wound on its front right foot, which it had been carrying for several months.

WIldlife workers caught the bull and successfully removed the rope. It was given antiseptic for a deep wound on its ankle before coming round from its tranquilliser-induced slumber and taking flight into the forest.

Conservationists had been trying to track the fragile elephant, which had become separated from its herd.

But tragically, the pachyderm was heard wailing this morning before finally collapsing. Horrified workers found shotgun pellets in the top of it its right hind leg.

Buddhist monks performed a funeral ceremony for the elephant and police are now investigating the death. They suspect that an angry local from one of the rural villages might have shot the creature after it strayed onto their farm land.

Padet Laitong, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Department, said: ''The baby elephant was found with bullets in its hind quarters. The back of the right leg has obvious swelling and many abrasions.

''We found that this was lead pellets from a shotgun. The hind quarters of the right leg also had a crooked fracture, which was caused by being hit from the gun or a vehicle.''