An abused elephant took revenge on his owner who was hitting him with a metal pole - by goring him to death with his tusks.

The 30-year-old jumbo named Plai Pha Tulu was irritated with mahout Phaphidu Lerttikhamphon, 47, sitting on his back yelling orders and striking him with a sharp metal bull hook.

Shocked locals watched as the bull knocked Phaphidu over, trampled him, and then plunged his huge ivory tusks into his chest. Plai Pha Tulu then ran into nearby trees in Tak province, Thailand on August 27.

Police and paramedics arrived to treat the victim but the elephant remained aggressive and prevented them from reaching the body.

Footage from the aftermath shows how the elephant was finally tethered but was still bearing its blood-drenched tusks and swinging its trunk.

Police Captain Lomdech Jewkaew from the Tha Song Yang District Police Station said: ‘The elephant was very agitated and aggressive. We could not reach the man's body.

‘To manage the situation, the authorities blocked the area while a team of veterinarians and relevant personnel administered multiple tranquilizer darts to the elephant.'

The elephant eventually calmed down, enabling the team to safely remove Phaphidu's body from the scene.

Officials said the elephant was in the process of being sold to a new owner when it began 'behaving stubbornly' and refused to board a truck.

Phaphidu tried to regain control of the beast by shouting and striking it on the head. However, it became increasingly aggressive.

The man who was buying Plai Pha Tulu, Sornsiri Submak, 40, said that he had paid 2.76 million baht (78,500 USD) for the elephant.

He said: 'Phaphidu was moving Plai Pha Tulu to a truck, but the elephant resisted. Phaphidu was angry and struck the animal with his metal pole, but was crushed and gored when it retaliated.'

Authorities said they were assessing if it was safe to continue transporting Plai Pha Tulu to Surin province using a truck.

As of 2023, there are an estimated 3,084-3,500 wild elephants in Thailand and a similar number in captivity where they work in the tourism industry, religious festivals or at sanctuaries.

The population has been increasing in recent years, but it is still a fraction of the estimated 300,000 wild elephants that lived in Thailand at the beginning of the 20th century.

The main threats to wild elephants in Thailand are habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and conflict with humans.