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AN ELEPHANT has been dubbed the word’s loneliest after has was stranded on a tiny island for two years after being caught in a monsoon.
Footage of the five-year-old elephant, named Sun, shows him wandering around the island, bored and without the company of other jumbos.



He can be seen pacing along the shore of the island, trumpeting his horn and searching for companionship.
While searching for fresh food on the eyot, the adult elephant, was caught in a sudden burst of rain in the vast Prasae Reservoir in Rayong province, Thailand in April 2023.
The monsoon caused rising water levels leaving Sun trapped on the island.
Prior to this, Sun was free to roam around the woodland area, munching away at the tree leaves, which he had all to himself – a perk of being the only elephant on the island.
But, after becoming trapped, he has been starved of company, without a single other jumbo in sight – for two years.
Thankfully, the poor, lonely elephant was spotted a couple of moths after becoming stranded on the island.
He has since received food donations from residents who kindly bring the adult elephant supplies, travelling to the island by boat, which has ensured his survival along with eating vegetation.
After two years of being trapped without any company, concerned locals and forest officials are planning to help release Sun from the island.
But nothing but the vast water and beachy land is in sight.
Local forestry official, Pitak Yingyong said: “We brought fruits for Sun. We are accepting donations like food and grass so we can sustain his needs until we can find a way for him to leave the island.
“He must be very lonely and feeling isolated. When he saw us he happily ran over to us.”
However, due to the increasing scarcity of water, officials cannot release supplies from the reservoir.
Officals also expressed concerns that doing so would cause flooding downstream as almost all of the reserves would require dispensing of, to enable Sun a safe route out.
Other rescue methods considered by Government conservationists include using a large boat to float Sun off the island and back into his natural habitat in the forest.
But, logistics prove this option to be too difficult.
Pitak said: “Catching a wild elephant is not an easy task. Using a boat would be very difficult and only possible if he was in a critical condition.
“As it stands, there is no danger to Sun as he has a lot of food. But he is lonely. We may have to wait for the water to decline and we can help him to leave.
“The National Park has to coordinate the plan, but at the moment, it is very difficult. We thought about a boat but it would be a challenge.
“The reservoir holds critical water supplies for three provinces in the Eastern Economic Corridor. We cannot drain it.”
Thailand is home to nearly 3,500 elephants in the wild and the elephant population has increased in recent years.
But, this is a fraction of the estimated 300,000 wild elephants which lived in Thailand at the beginning of the 20th century, showing a dramatic decrease.