Teenager clings to elephant’s TUSK as it picks her up and rampages through Thai market after it wrapped its trunk around her as she posed for a photo
- Nichanat Manucham, 19, posed for a picture with an elephant in Surin, Thailand
- The elephant wrapped its trunk around her, picked her up and went berserk
- She was forced to hold on to its massive tusk while it trashed the market
- Video footage shows her holding on for dear life as elephant tramples food stalls
This is the dramatic moment a teenager is forced to cling on to an elephant’s tusk while it runs rampage through a local market in Thailand.
Nichanat Manucham, 19, was taking a picture with the elephant at a country fair in Surin, north east Thailand, when it started wrapping its trunk around her leg.
The elephant, named Phan Thong, then grabbed her body, hoisting her in the air, and began trampling the surrounding food stalls, likely agitated by the heat and loud noises.
Danger: Nichanat Manucham, 19, was posing for a photo with the beast when it suddenly picked her up and went on a rampage through the stalls
Miss Manucham managed to hold on to the elephant’s massive ivory tusks for almost two minutes as it went berserk.
Astonishing footage shot by a bystander shows how the bull went on a terrifying rampage with the girl clinging on for dear life.
The crazed elephant destroyed a food stand as its trainer, known as a mahout, desperately tried to control him.
After almost two minutes, the elephant slowed down and Miss Manucham was able scramble free.
Miraculously, she escaped unhurt apart from minor grazes on her arm and was pictured moments after smiling and calling her mother, while being treated.
Incredible: The quick-thinking teenager grabbed on to the elephant’s tusks and held on for dear life while it went on a two-minute rampage
The incident took place at a country fair in Surin, north east Thailand, on Thursday
Safe: After around two minutes, the elephant slowed down and Miss Manucham could let go of the tusk and climb down
Miss Manucham even apologised for causing a disturbance at the festival.
Speaking today she said: ‘I love elephants and I was standing close to the procession to take a picture.
‘The elephant stopped and it was touching my leg with its trunk. I thought it was so cute.
‘Then he put his trunk around my body and lifted me up. It was shaking me around and the nearest thing was the white tusk so I held on to it.
‘I could hear the elephant breathing and smashing the tables. I was scared but I just could only think about holding on. Then people came to help me get down.’
Miss Manucham, a student, was treated afterwards for minor grazes and taken to hospital for checks.
Lucky escape: The 19-year-old said all she could think about during the ordeal was holding on to the elephant’s tusk
What a gal: Despite not done anything unusual to provoke the elephant’s rampage, Miss Manucham apologised for causing a disturbance at the festival
All good: The young woman was treated for some minor bruises but could be seen smiling and speaking to her family on the phone about the incident moments afterwards
She was shaken but still managed to smile and said it had made her more determined to care for elephants.
She said: ‘I’m sorry that I caused a problem. I feel sorry for the elephant because it was not his fault. He was stressed and couldn’t control himself. I don’t think he wanted to hurt me.’
The incident happened at the event called ‘Let’s Wear Silk, Traditional Silver Beads, and Do Thai Dance!’. It was organised by Ronnakorn Paowichan, the sheriff of Khwao Sinrin District.
Paowichan said: ‘The elephant was likely stressed because of the heat and the loud noises. It could have been hormonal and it suddenly became agitated.
‘This has never happened before and all of the elephants are normally very relaxed. We are very relieved that the Nichanat is safe.’