Keo Sopheak, chief of the environment department in northeastern Mondulkiri province, told Kyodo News by telephone on Friday that the incident took place at 3.30pm the previous day when two people were hunting for mushrooms in a forest when they encountered a herd of wild elephants.
“The two were walking with a dog and the dog was barking after seeing a mother elephant with a newly born baby,” Keo Sopheak said.
The elephant chased after the dog and when it came upon the two men, it stamped and killed Srorn Phyol, 49, a member of the Phnong ethnic minority, Keo Sopheak said, adding the other man escaped unharmed.
Keo Sopheak said there are more than 200 wild elephants in five protected forest areas in Mondulkiri province.
But this is the first case in recent years of a person being killed by a wild elephant there, though two people were killed by domesticated elephants in the province in less than the two past years.
Elephants raised to be ridden by tourists killed their mahuts in separate incidents last September and in April.