An incident occurred at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre in southern Thailand, where a 22-year-old Spanish woman, Blanca Ojanguren Garcia, was fatally gored by an elephant while bathing the animal.
This took place on Friday, January 3, during a day trip to the centre on Koh Yao Yai island, where Garcia and her boyfriend were participating in the popular tourist activity of bathing elephants.
According to police reports, Garcia and her boyfriend were giving a bath to an elephant at the sanctuary when the animal suddenly “panicked” and pierced her with its tusk. The police chief of Koh Yao district, Charan Bangprasert, confirmed that the owner of the centre had informed the authorities about the incident, and an investigation is currently underway.
Bathing elephants is a popular activity among tourists in Thailand, which is home to both wild and domesticated elephant populations. However, experts have raised concerns about the welfare of these animals, citing threats from tourism, logging, poaching, and human encroachment on their habitats.
The wild elephant population in Thailand has significantly declined over the years, from over 100,000 at the beginning of the 20th century to a mere 3,000-4,000 today. In contrast, the number of captive elephants has increased by 134% between 2010 and 2020, with an estimated 2,800 elephants being held in tourism venues across Thailand, according to World Animal Protection.
