Mahout charged after elephant gores tourist to death

Thai constabulary person charged a mahout aft an elephant successful his attraction gored a Spanish tourer to decease past week.

Theerayut Inthaphudkij, 38, was charged with negligence causing death, section authorities said Monday.

The tourer - 22-year-old Blanca Ojanguren García - was bathing the elephant astatine the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre successful confederate Thailand when she was attacked by the animal.

This has renewed concerns implicit Thailand's booming elephant tourism industry, which carnal rights groups person agelong criticised arsenic unethical and dangerous.

Activists accidental that elephant bathing is disruptive to earthy grooming behaviours and could injure the animals, exposing them to unnecessary stress.

After the attack, experts weighed successful to accidental that the elephant mightiness person been stressed due to the fact that of the enactment with tourists.

García sustained a caput wounded - and aboriginal died successful the infirmary - aft the elephant, 45-year-old pistillate Phang Somboon, pushed her with its tusk. Her boyfriend, who was travelling with her, witnessed the attack.

There are astir 3,000 elephants held successful tourer attractions crossed Thailand, according to an estimation by planetary foundation World Animal Protection.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) told the BBC successful a connection that "such incidents item the dangers to some humans and animals alike."

"Any 'sanctuary' that allows humans to touch, feed, bathe, oregon intimately interact with elephants successful immoderate mode is nary spot of refuge for elephants and puts the lives of tourists and animals successful captious danger," said Peta elder vice president Jason Baker.

Similar charges of negligence person antecedently been pressed against mahouts whose elephants killed tourists.

In 2017, an elephant campy proprietor and a mahout were charged with recklessness causing decease and injuries aft an elephant killed a Chinese circuit usher and injured 2 tourists successful the Thai formation town, Pattaya. In 2013, a 27-year-old elephant had its tusks chopped aft it attacked and killed a woman.

García, a instrumentality and planetary relations pupil astatine Spain's University of Navarra, was surviving successful Taiwan arsenic portion of a pupil speech programme. She and her fellow arrived successful Thailand connected 26 December 2024.

Spain's overseas minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said the Spanish consulate successful Bangkok was assisting García's family.

Additional reporting by Kelly Ng