Woman killed while bathing elephant in Thailand

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A Spanish woman tragically lost her life after being gored by an elephant at a sanctuary in southern Thailand. Blanca Ojanguren Garcia, 22, was bathing the elephant at the Koh Yao Elephant Care center when the animal seemingly panicked and struck her with its tusk, local police reported.

Garcia, visiting Thailand with her boyfriend, was at the center on Koh Yao Yai island, a popular day-trip destination for tourists staying on the nearby resort island of Phuket. The couple had been enjoying the experience of bathing the elephant, a popular tourist activity in the country, which is known for both wild and domesticated elephant populations.

According to Koh Yao district police chief Charan Bangprasert, the owner of the sanctuary immediately alerted authorities after the incident, and an investigation is currently underway.

Elephants, Thailand's national animal, have seen a dramatic decline in their wild populations, primarily due to threats from tourism, logging, poaching, and habitat destruction. Estimates suggest that Thailand’s wild elephant population has dwindled to between 3,000 and 4,000, down from over 100,000 at the start of the 20th century.

Meanwhile, the number of elephants held in captivity has surged by 134% between 2010 and 2020, with around 2,800 elephants now kept in various tourism venues across Thailand.

International non-profit World Animal Protection has long raised concerns over the conditions many of these captive elephants endure, citing risks posed to both animals and tourists.