Thai Elephant Kills Tourist Bathing It at Sanctuary
A 22-year-old Spanish woman, Blanca Ojanguren Garcia, died Friday after being gored by an elephant while bathing it at a Koh Yao Elephant Care center in Thailand. The incident occurred during a tourist activity popular in the country, which also faces a dwindling wild elephant population and a rising captive elephant population used for tourism. Police are investigating the incident, and the elephant sanctuary and Spanish embassy have been contacted for comment. The tragedy underscores concerns about the risks of close human-elephant interaction within the Thai tourism industry.
John Q. Hosedrinker