A 60-year-old male elephant was found dead with 126 bullet wounds in a Thai national park.

The jumbo, named Plai Ngaduan, was seen by wildlife rangers collapsed near the Karang Reservoir in identified by Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi province on January 10.

He had bullet wounds in the hip, stomach, and head area - consisting of 117 pellets and an assortment of pistol and shotgun bullets. Officials believe the killer had repeatedly shot the jumbo at least 20 times and the bullets had spread out into its body.

The gunshot wounds are believed to have contributed to a severe blood infection, which ultimately killed it. The cause of death was revealed on January 23.

Department of National Parks vet Pattaraphon Maneeon said: 'The elephant's wounds were quite deep and had severe infection in its bloodstream. There was also pus flowing from the wound on the back of his body. The elephant is also quite old, contributing to the critical condition.'

Local vet Patarapol Maneeorn, head of the Department of National Park's (DNP's) Wildlife Health Management Division, said that severe sepsis, anaemia and inflammation of the kidney and liver had also contributed to the elephant's death.

He added: 'Normally, elephants will sleep by leaning against a tree and lie on their right side to avoid their weight pressing against the heart. But this elephant didn't and fell into a coma which culminated in its death.'

National Park leader Ittiphon said there are more than 180 elephants in the district so conflict with villagers has been reported in the past.

Locals who are angry at the jumbos for damaging their crops often lay traps and snares for the animals - or shoot the elephants themselves.

The park ranger added: 'In the past, there had been violence between wild elephants and villagers as the animals would often destroy crops and agricultural products.

‘Sometimes the villagers would use firearms to scare away the elephant, injuring them. We have built barriers to push the elephant back to the jungle and also told villagers to contact authorities whenever there’s an elephant invasion to reduce the violence.

'There haven’t been poachers in the area for a long time. We will look into every possible scenario.'

The jumbo was taken by park officers into their veterinary facility to undergo an autopsy before it was buried in the forest.

Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild but there is often conflict when they come into contact with humans on roads and in villages. A similar number of elephants are kept captive where they work in zoos and are hired out for religious festivals and weddings.

Elephants are the national animal of Thailand. An estimated 2,000 elephants are living in the wild and a similar number in captivity, where they are kept as pets, work in tourism or hired out for religious festivals.

In the wild, they roam through the deep jungle and in the country’s protected national parks but often encounter humans on roads and in villages. However, they are protected by laws and killing them carries a maximum prison term of up to three years and a fine of 1,000 baht (25GBP).