Tourists ride elephants on a beach on the Thai island of Koh Chang on April 9, 2023. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse
By AFP - Agence France Presse
Spanish tourist killed by elephant in Thai sanctuary
BANGKOK - A “panicked” elephant killed a Spanish tourist while she was bathing the animal at a sanctuary in southern Thailand, police said Monday.
The 23-year-old woman was hit by a trunk from a stressed animal at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Center in Phang Nga province, police said.
“A tourist was killed while bathing an elephant,” local police chief Jaran Bangprasert told AFP.
The authorities have contacted the Spanish embassy to confirm the identity of the victim.
The sanctuary refused to provide details of the incident when contacted by AFP.
Wild elephants have killed 227 people, including tourists, in the last 12 years, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
An elephant killed a 49-year-old woman in a national park in Loei province in northern Thailand last month.
Although encounters between locals and wild elephants are common, attacks in sanctuaries remain rare.
Bathing elephants is a popular activity among visitors to Thailand, where around 2,800 elephants are kept for tourism purposes across the country, according to World Animal Protection.
However, animal rights groups argue that bathing elephants can cause them distress and some sanctuaries in the country do not allow this activity.
tak/aph/pbt
The Green Amazon editors' note: We understand that they get the elephants involved in tourism because they need to survive. But the animals are wild and weigh tons! What kind of common sense is that? Bathing with elephants? Of course, the animals get upset and confused, but it's not their fault when they hurt the intruders! Leave the animals in peace, please!
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