A woman has tragically lost her life while bathing an elephant at an animal sanctaury in Thailand, local police have confirmed.
Blanca Ojanguren García, 22, was washing the elephant last Friday at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre when the animal, described as “panic-stricken,” pushed her.
García, from Spain, fell and struck her head. Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital, she later succumbed to her injuries, per the New York Post.
García, a law and international relations student at Spain’s University of Navarra, had been living in Taiwan as part of a student exchange program. She and her boyfriend had arrived in Thailand on December 26, 2024, for a vacation.
Her boyfriend witnessed the tragic incident firsthand.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares stated that the Spanish consulate in Bangkok is providing support to García’s family during this difficult time.
Elephant Stress and Criticism of Tourist Activities
Experts interviewed by Spanish newspaper Clarín suggested that the elephant may have been stressed due to interactions with tourists, which can place the animals under significant strain outside their natural habitat.
The Spanish newspaper El Mundo reports that the 50-year-old animal struck García down with its trunk.
Bathing elephants is a popular tourist activity in Thailand, where more than 4,000 wild elephants and a similar number of captive ones reside. The Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre offers packages for tourists to feed, bathe, and walk with the animals, with prices ranging from 1,900 baht ($55) to 2,900 baht.
Animal rights activists have long criticized these activities.
Jason Baker, senior vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), condemned such practices in a statement to the BBC: “Any ‘sanctuary’ that allows humans to touch, feed, bathe, or closely interact with elephants in any way is no place of refuge for elephants and puts the lives of tourists and animals in critical danger.”
World Animal Protection, an international charity, has reported that more than 60% of elephants used for tourism in Asia live in “severely inadequate” conditions. The organization has urged Thailand to cease the breeding of elephants in captivity, noting that these intelligent, socially complex animals suffer deeply in artificial environments.
Mahout Charged in Connection to Incident
Following the tragedy, local police charged 38-year-old mahout Theerayut Inthaphudkij with negligence causing death.
The case has reignited debates about the ethics of using elephants in tourism and the risks posed to both humans and animals.
The Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre has yet to comment on the incident, despite multiple requests for a statement from the media.
Our thoughts go out to García’s family, friends, and loved ones at this time.
