Tourist bathing elephant attacked to death in Thailand

(CLO) A Spanish tourist died after being attacked by an elephant while she was bathing it at a sanctuary in southern Thailand on January 6, according to local police.

On January 3, Blanca Ojanguren García, 23, was hit hard by the elephant's trunk while she was bathing it at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Center, Koh Yao district, Phang Nga province.

Police said the elephant also attacked the victim with its tusks. A local police official, Jaran Bangprasert, confirmed the incident and announced the death of the female tourist.

According to experts, the elephant may have been stressed from living and interacting with tourists in an environment that is unnatural for the animal.

Blanca Ojanguren García is on exchange in Taiwan during her fifth year of her Bachelor of Law and International Relations at the University of Navarra. Photo: Facebook/Koh Yao Elephant Care

García, from Valladolid, Spain, is a law and international relations student at the University of Navarra. She is on an Erasmus exchange program and lives in Taiwan. She traveled to Thailand with her boyfriend, a Spanish infantry cadet who was also in the reserve when the attack occurred.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares confirmed the accident and said the Spanish consulate in Bangkok was assisting the victim's family. According to the Spanish Foreign Ministry, the consulate has been in contact with the victim's family and is providing consular assistance.

Over the past 12 years, wild elephants have killed 227 people, including tourists, according to Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. While wild elephant attacks on people are common, attacks in protected areas are rare.

Elephant bathing is a popular activity for tourists in Thailand, where about 2,800 elephants are kept in captivity for the tourism industry. However, animal rights groups say the practice can be painful for the elephants, and some sanctuaries have banned the practice for the animals' sake.

Ngoc Anh (according to Bangkok Post, CNA)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/du-khach-tam-cho-voi-bi-tan-cong-tu-vong-o-thai-lan-post329209.html