An elephant, believed to be ‘panic-stricken’ at human interaction, has knocked down and killed a young Spanish woman while she was washing the animal in Thailand.
Blanca Ojanguren Garcia, 22, from Valladolid, was visiting the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre, located on the island of Yao Yai in Thailand, when she was hit by the animal’s trunk.
She was rushed to a nearby hospital but doctors were unable to save her.
García, who was a law and international relations student at Spain’s University of Navarra, was living in Taiwan and studying at Tamkang University as part of a student exchange programme, when she was visiting Thailand with her boyfriend.
She would have completed her undergraduate degree this year.
Her body has since been transferred to a hospital on the island of Phuket, where repatriation procedures are being prepared.
Valladolid Mayor Jesus Julio Carnero took to X to offer his ‘deepest condolences’ to Garcia’s family.
Reports had previously claimed Garcia had been gored by the elephant, but news agency reporters verified that this was not the case after contact with local police.
Wildlife experts told Spanish language newspaper El Mundo that the elephant, a 50-year-old female, could have been stressed by having to interact with tourists.
According to El Mundo, the center’s owner said they have three elephants, including the 50-year-old female elephant, and get about 10 to 30 daily visitors.
The sanctuary is currently closed as a result of the tragic accident.
Popular but dangerous: elephant bathing
Bathing elephants is a popular activity among tourists in Thailand. The Koh Yao centre offers elephant care packages which let tourists make food for and feed the animals, as well as shower and walk with them. These packages cost between 1,900 baht (AED200) and 2,900 baht.
Animal activists have previously criticised elephant bathing activities, saying they disrupt natural grooming behaviours and expose the animals to unnecessary stress and potential injury.
The sad truth is that these interactions are only possible through cruel early training to obey commands. Elephants are wild animals, even those born in captivity, and as such aren’t naturally disposed to interact with humans.
World Animal Protection
According to World Animal Protection (WAP) – a wildlife welfare non-profit – elephant washing is dangerous for people and the animals.
The group said: ‘The sad truth is that these interactions are only possible through cruel early training to obey commands. Elephants are wild animals, even those born in captivity, and as such aren’t naturally disposed to interact with humans.
‘Close interaction with elephants yields great risk for the visitors, and for the elephants, repeated washing – for example, from hourly tour groups – can damage skin and provides no additional hygiene benefits.’
Elephants are rarely aggressive but can act out if they feel threatened, or to protect their young.
Thailand has a population of around 3,500 elephants say WAP and around 2,800 elephants live in tourist venues across the country.
The charity has for years urged countries including Thailand to stop breeding elephants in captivity with six out of 10 elephants used for tourism across Asia living in ‘severely inadequate’ conditions.
‘These intelligent and socially intricate animals, with a capacity for complex thoughts and emotions, endure profound suffering in captivity, as their natural social structures cannot be replicated artificially,’ the charity said.
The latest fatal elephant incident comes less than a month after a 49-year-old woman died after reportedly being attacked by an elephant after walking in Thailand’s Phu Kradueng National Park.
While conflict between villagers and wild elephants are common, attacks at sanctuaries are rare.
Wild elephants have killed 227 people globally, including tourists, in the past 12 years, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
