WAKAYAMA, JAPAN - An animal handler died on Sunday after being hit by the trunk of an elephant at an amusement facility complex in western Japan, police said. Wichai Madee from Thailand and another handler were washing the animal in a cage at Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama prefecture, when the elephant began thrashing its trunk back and forth, according to the police. The 37-year-old handler, standing in front of the 3.5-tonne elephant with a brush in his hand, was flung against iron fences nearby and the elephant then pushed him around with its trunk. The elephant was a 40-year-old female and apparently did not want the handlers' attention at the time the incident occurred around 9.15am (7.15am Thailand time) before the facility opened, the police said. The Thai man was taken to hospital immediately after the incident and pronounced dead after an hour, they said.

Source: Bangkok Post March 12, 2017 07:08 UTC