Furious villagers are suing Thailand's wildlife department as three residents have been killed in separate wild elephant attacks.

More than 200 neighbours protested in front of Khon Kaen Administrative Court in Khon Kaen on Tuesday, slamming the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) over its alleged negligence.

They held signs that read: ‘Protect communities from wild elephants!' and ‘The government must immediately relocate wild elephants from communities'.

Legal representatives formally filed a case against the DNP, accusing officials of failing to act as herds of tuskers trampled crops, raided homes, and crushed villagers to death over the past three years.

The jungle behemoths were believed to have strayed from the Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary in Loei before roaming into farming areas. Villagers believe the elephants are now camping on the edges of communities, sparking fears of attacks.

Though rangers were occasionally sent to deal with the jumbos, the animals would often return within days, leaving residents scared of staying outside for too long.

Lawyer Wansiri Seenamburi, 42, said: 'The department has a legal duty to control and supervise wildlife, preventing them from leaving conservation areas and harming residents and property.

'However, they have neglected their duty and have been unreasonably slow in performing their duties. This has prevented villagers from living their normal lives, leaving them paranoid about being attacked by wild elephants. They have therefore filed lawsuits, seeking the court's help.'

The court said that the high volume of existing cases could delay proceedings and advised mediation as the first step.

If both sides fail to reach an agreement, the standard legal process may drag on for up to two years. Once the lawsuit is formally accepted, the court said it will summon department representatives for mediation.

In April last year, Yim Pimnao, 79, was killed when a wild elephant struck him with its trunk and trampled him near his hut.

On August 20, the body of Nirundon Paenfai, 52, was found in a pond, believed to have been violently attacked and thrown by an elephant. Just days later, a tusker named Chao Hoo Phab killed farmer Charan Promtoo, 60, after villagers tried to drive it from their rice fields with firecrackers.

As of 2024, there are an estimated 4,013 to 4,422 wild elephants in Thailand. 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.