An elderly Buddhist monk was trampled to death by a wild elephant while collecting alms in northeast Thailand.

Phra Pramote Samrarnpit, 70, was walking along a dirt road when he encountered the hostile jumbo near a deserted temple in Khon Kaen province on December 17.

The beast was said to have knocked him down and brutally crushed him underfoot before villagers found him at 6 am local time.

Authorities rushed to the scene around two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the village, where they discovered the monk's mangled body splayed out on the ground. He reportedly had multiple fractures, with blood seeping out of his eyes, ears, and mouth.

His alms bowl was found two feet away on the side of the dirt trail.

Village council leader Prayuth Laisin said: 'Wild elephants have been migrating into Si Chomphu district for the past three years, and recently two more elephants crossed into the area. We have organised teams to push them back and have been repeatedly warning residents to stay alert.'

Residents said a herd of wild elephants was usually seen foraging in villagers' fields before returning to the forest at dawn.

On the morning of the fatal attack, the animals were believed to have returned later than usual, putting them directly in the monk's route.

Officials said Pramote is the fourth person killed by wild elephants in the province in the past three years.

Furious locals have sued the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) over its alleged negligence, as rogue elephants continued to trample crops and raid homes, sparking fears of more attacks.

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.