[God18]

Thai Water Elephants, an ancient belief, and its modern evidence,… in
Thailand have been found and documented some very notable examples
of the bodies of “Miniature Water Elephants”, tiny poisonous pachyderms
that are said to inhabit remote rivers and streams,… investigations by
scientists have so far been unable to prove or disprove the existence of
these diminutive dumbos.

[Bizarro]

ok, i think this post needs something more, God. i mean, its like a sentence fragment... you have to finish it for it to make any sense.

im definitely interested in the idea of these tiny poisonous water elephants, but maybe a link or two would help this seem like something you didn't just make up while getting high.

[TheOracle]

I agree DS, I've been trying to find some info on these things and so far I havn't found anything.

[neen]

Yes i agree DS, either tell us more god 18 or pass around whatever it is thats making you print this story.

[Althalus]

God 18 statement was taken from this site here, it is about half way down.

I can not find anything else on it, i'll keep looking tho.

[TheOracle]

Thanx Althalus I am still having no luck finding anything more about these creatures.
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

[Halo_Jones]

@ Oracle. I'v spent about an hour looking for the little poisonous elephants too. It seems very far-fetched to me, but hey I had an hour to spare. I think the idea of dinky elephants is very appealing.
I WANT ONE!!!!

[Kismit]

I found this wee bit to add to the thread Portal

I must say it doesn't look like this creature has been around for very long .

[TheOracle]

Thanx Kismet

[Saru]

I'm sure I read somewhere that there was information on this subject in the 'Cryptozoology A To Z' by Loren Coleman - if anyone has that book you might want to have a look for 'Thai Water Elephants' in there.

[God18]

Sorry guys I only posted what I could find. I first heard about them on one of those discovery or discovery science or something like that and never heard anything else, so I kind of put this up hoping someone would add something to it. The show was real cool it even had the alleged remains of one of them, and they tested them. The results were inconclusive.

[Kismit]

That sounds like it would have been very interestin God18 . I'll keep an eye out for more information .

[AnuKabal]

i thnik that these little elephants would be cool. I want want one!

[frogfish]

never heard of them

[Xzenox]

Hi all,

I did a little bit of a search for this tiny elephant. Here's two articles (one and a follow-up) I found at http://www.burmalibr...5/msg00001.html and http://www.burmalibr.../msg00004.html:

The Nation
Dead 'water elephant' turns up in Mae Sot
Published on May 2, 2003

The carcass of a rare small animal similar in appearance to an elephant has been discovered in the possession of a resident of Mae Sot district, Tak province.

The owner, Direk Siangthaen, 28, a restaurant operator in Mae Sot district, said he got the carcass of the miniature animal, known to locals as a "water elephant", from Burma. The carcass, which is about 7.5cm tall and 12.5 cm wide, weighs about 300 grams.

Locals in Tak believe the water elephant is a rare creature bestowed with supernatural powers. Sala Chuainoo, a 50-year-old elephant keeper, said when he was very young his parents told him that an elephant running amok would never hurt a person carrying the tusk of a water elephant, and those carrying such a tusk would be able to quickly calm it.

He was told that water elephants could be found in muddy water on high mountains. Mae Jan Village in Tak's Umphang district used to be a water elephant habitat, he said.

Direk said he got the water elephant from a Burmese villager living opposite Mae Sot. The man told him he had caught the miniature elephant in a pond high in the mountains. The elephant only lived seven days after being caught.

"I believe it really is a water elephant, because every part of the animal is similar to a normal elephant. And I was also told that when it was alive its bellows were similar to those of an elephant," he said.

Direk took the carcass to Pha Woh Hospital in Mae Sot district and had the carcass x-rayed. About a hundred people thronged around him when they saw what he was carrying.

The x-rays showed that the water elephant to have a bone structure similar to that of a full-sized elephant, he said.

But he is worried somebody might try to steal the carcass from him, and so has decided not to keep the carcass at home.


The Nation
Water elephant 'has no place in traditional culture'
Published on May 5, 2003

An academic yesterday cast doubts on reports that a mythic "water elephant" has been found and rejected the idea that the animals form part of Thai traditional beliefs.

Dr Wittaya Damrongkiattisak said that the belief in the miniature creatures, which are supposed to have supernatural powers, was a relatively new one that had only recently been imported from Burma.

"I don't think the water elephant story is true," said Wittaya, who has taught at Maejo University and is an expert in religions and superstition.

The water elephant, supposedly a tiny animal with bone structure similar to that of full-sized elephants, was big news last week when a Tak resident showed a purported carcass of one to the public and had it x-rayed.

The carcass is about 7.5 cm tall and 12.5 cm wide, and weighs about 300 grams.

Direk Chiangthaen, the owner of the carcass, said he got the animal's body from a Burmese villager who said he caught the animal alive in a pond high in the mountains. The Burmese villager also claimed to have more of the beasts, he said.

Yesterday, Direk's elder brother Chanin said that a Bangkok merchant had offered to buy one of the water elephants for Bt500,000 but the Burmese man had yet to take up the offer.

"He wants more," Chanin said.

According to Chanin, many people have been clamouring to get a hold of the rare animal.

He added that the Burmese man had moved his water elephants to Thai territory after Burmese military officers started looking for the miniature animal following the reports in Thai newspapers.

Chanin said that he and Direk believed that the Burmese villager's water elephants were genuine - not something modified to look like a small elephant.

"We are ready to let the relevant agencies verify the carcass we own as long as we are well informed of the procedures and no legal action is taken against us," he said.

Colonel Songkran Sangkorn, the superintendent at Mae Sot Police Station, said Direk was unlikely to face any legal action.