Tourist abducts Thai elephant

May 1, 2007, 11:42 PM

BANGKOK, May 1 (UPI) — A tourist's mistakes in Thailand after crashing his car included fleeing the scene, abducting a baby elephant en route and turning to light a cigarette.

Yoram Ben-Hamo of Israel got involved in a police chase during the weekend in a village south of the Thai capital after crashing his car into three others and injuring a motorcyclist, Israel's YnetNews reported Tuesday.

The foot chase started after Ben-Hamo fled the accident scene. Police say they suspect he was drunk.

While running from police, the visitor took a knife from a merchant, the report said. Later, he happened upon the baby elephant in the nearby woods.

When police arrived at the scene, Ben-Hamo reportedly threatened to harm his captive if not left alone. A hostage-negotiation team also arrived. Ben-Hamo made the mistake of accepting a cigarette from a team member and getting distracted while trying to light it so police were able to capture him.

The baby elephant was returned home safely.

Ben-Hamo was convicted of kidnapping the elephant -- the animal is the national symbol of Thailand -- and holding it hostage, the report said. Local media reports indicted Ben-Hamo was let off with a small fine.

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