A thirty-year-old elephant was tragically killed after being caught on an electric fence while searching for food in an orchard in Thailand.

Officers of the Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary found the corpse of the male jumbo Plai Ngam at the edge of the orchard in Chanthaburi province on May 3.

Its swollen trunk was tightly coiled around the electrified cable, and had scorch marks from where it was gripping the wire. The body had started to decompose and emitted a foul smell as Plai Ngam had reportedly been dead for at least two days.

The 500-metre fence belonged to 63-year-old Suwan Manathawee, who had allegedly erected it to prevent his harvest from being eaten by wild elephants. He said: 'The wire fence has been installed since 2017 and will only release voltage during the harvest season. I placed it there because elephants often come to eat the fruit in the orchard.

'I've never seen this elephant before. I didn't hear its cries, maybe because it was raining heavily when it was electrocuted.'

Authorities launched an investigation into Suwan's culpability in the incident.

Meanwhile, police, villagers, and monks lit incense sticks and offered prayers for the gentle giant before veterinarians conducted an autopsy to examine the cause of its death - the fourth this year according to sanctuary officers.

Ekachai Sandee, head of Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary, said: 'Plai Ngam is the fourth elephant in Chanthaburi to have died since the beginning of the year. Orchard owners need fences to protect their property, while the number of elephants in the forest is continuously increasing.

'The community and forest area of Khao Soi Dao is quite wide. It's hard to know when and where the elephants will come for food. Villagers need to be vigilant and inform the authorities so the elephants can be safely guided away from residential areas.'

A wild elephant in Khao Soi Dao had also died of electrocution late April after unknowingly trying to enter private property in search of food.

Elephants are the national animal of Thailand. An estimated 2,000 elephants are living in the wild and a similar number in captivity.

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).