In brief
A "panic-stricken" elephant tragically gored a Spanish woman, Blanca Ojanguren García, to death while she was bathing it at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre last Friday. The incident occurred as local police report that the young woman, who was a law and international relations student at the University of Navarra in Spain, was participating in an elephant bathing activity, a popular yet controversial tourist attraction in Thailand. Experts indicated that the animal may have been under stress from frequent tourist interactions, potentially leading to the fatal incident. García was currently on a student exchange in Taiwan and was visiting Thailand with her boyfriend, who witnessed the tragic event.
In light of the incident, Spain’s Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, mentioned that the Spanish consulate in Bangkok is offering support to García's family. Despite being a common tourist activity, the practice of bathing elephants has faced heavy criticism from animal rights activists, who argue it disrupts the animals' natural behaviors and causes undue stress. The Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre offers packages allowing tourists to interact closely with the elephants, which are priced between 1,900 and 2,900 baht (approximately $55 to $85). Animal welfare organizations, such as World Animal Protection, have long criticized the conditions of elephants used for tourism in Asia, claiming that over 60% live in severely inadequate environments, leading to significant suffering and emotional distress due to loss of natural social structures.
