A taste for eating elephant meat - particularly the trunk and reproductive organs - has emerged in Thailand and could pose a new threat to the local population of the animal.
Wildlife officials told The Associated Press that they were alerted to the practice after finding two elephants slaughtered last month in a national park in western Thailand.
'The poachers took away the elephants' sex organs and trunks ... for human consumption,' Damrong Phidet, director-general of Thailand's wildlife agency, said.
Poachers typically just remove tusks, which fetch thousands of dollars on the black market.
Consuming elephant meat is not common in Thailand, but some Asian cultures believe consuming animals' reproductive organs can boost sexual prowess.
Damrong said the elephant meat was ordered by restaurants in Phuket, a popular travel destination in the country's south. It wasn't clear if the diners were foreigners.
The accusation drew a quick rebuttal from Phuket Governor Tri Akradecha, who told Thai media that he had never heard of such restaurants but ordered officials to look into the matter.
Trafficking or possessing poached animal parts is illegal in Thailand.
'The situation has come to a crisis point. The longer we allow these cruel acts to happen, the sooner they will become extinct,' Damrong said.
The quest for ivory remains the top reason poachers kill elephants in Thailand, other environmentalists say.
Soraida Salwala, the founder of Friends of the Asian Elephant foundation, said: 'There's only a handful of people who like to eat elephant meat, but once there's demand, poachers will find it hard to resist the big money.'
Thailand has fewer than 3000 wild elephants and about 4000 domesticated elephants, according to the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.
