Soldiers led a group of officials and animal doctors into the jungle on Mao Tae mountain in Rangae district after villagers informed security authorities about the wounded elephant.
They found a female lying on the ground suffering from several gunshot wounds to her head and left rear leg that had left her unable to stand.
Veterinarians cleaned the wounds and injected a saline solution as part of the effort to save her life but the elephant finally succumbed to her injuries.
Villagers told Wirote Siriumakul, the chief of the Chaloem Phrakiat Wildlife Conservation Office, that the elephant had come down from the mountain in search of food at a local fruit orchard before she was shot.
The beast had come down with a male elephant and their baby, both of which returned to the jungle, he added. It is not known who fired the shot at the animal.
Chonsawad Boonkua, an official with the conservation office, reported the incident to the Rangae police and asked that they find the shooter.
Villagers who learned of the fate of the elephant took uncooked rice to the scene and spread it around her to bid their final farewells before she was laid to rest in the area.
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