A 23-Year-Old Woman Dies After Elephant Strikes Her While Bathing It at a Southern Thailand Elephant Care Centre
A tragic accident occurred at a renowned elephant sanctuary in southern Thailand on January 6, when a 23-year-old Spanish tourist was fatally struck by an elephant’s trunk while bathing the animal. The incident took place at the Koh Yao Elephant Care centre in Phang Nga province, where the elephant, reportedly in a state of distress, caused the fatal injury.
Local police chief Jaran Bangprasert confirmed that the woman was struck during the bathing activity, which is a popular tourist attraction in Thailand. Authorities have reached out to the Spanish Embassy to confirm the identity of the victim, although the sanctuary declined to provide any additional details about the incident when contacted by AFP.
This tragedy highlights broader concerns about elephant-related incidents in Thailand. According to the country’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, wild elephants have killed 227 people, including tourists, over the past 12 years. A similar incident occurred in December 2024, when a 49-year-old woman lost her life to an elephant in a national park in northern Thailand.
While wild elephants and local villagers often come into contact, incidents in sanctuaries are less common. Bathing elephants has become a popular activity for tourists in Thailand, with around 2,800 elephants being kept for tourism purposes, according to World Animal Protection.
Despite the popularity of this activity, it has attracted significant criticism from animal rights groups, who argue that the practice can cause distress and harm to the animals. In response, some sanctuaries in Thailand have opted to discontinue allowing such activities to protect the well-being of the elephants.
