A Spanish tourist named Blanca Ojanguren García tragically lost her life while bathing an elephant at a sanctuary in Thailand.
While washing the animal, the elephant suddenly attacked her, driving its tusk into her and causing fatal injuries.
Despite efforts to save her, Blanca succumbed to her injuries and passed away later. It was a devastating and unexpected turn of events.
The 22-year-old was bathing the animal at Koh Yao Elephant Care centre on the island of Yao Yai, Clarin reports.
Blanca reportedly passed in front of the animal when it attacked.
Blanca, from Valladolid in northwest Spain, was a student at the University of Navarra and was in Thailand travelling.
She was with her boyfriend at the time.
Navarra University said it “expresses its sorrow” for García’s death and “shares the grief of her family and asks for prayers for her soul.”
Blanca had been on exchange and living in Taiwan when she had travelled to Thailand for a holiday.
Washing elephants is a popular activity at some sanctuaries in Thailand.
Experts told Clarín the elephant had likely become stressed due to interacting with tourists.
Some 4,000 elephants live in sanctuaries, national parks, and nature reserves in Thailand.
There are a similar number of domesticated elephants which are used in tourist shows.
In the past 12 years, there have been 240 deaths from wild elephant attacks,
Some 39 deaths have happened in 2024 alone, according to data from the Department of National Parks.
It comes just weeks after a 49-year-old mum was trampled by an elephant while she was on a hike.
Jiranan Panyaprasertying was exploring one of the country’s national parks with a pal when they were chased by the charging wild beast.
Tragically, Jiranan tripped as she fled with the angry elephant then stepping on her head and crushing her skull.
In November, a zookeeper was sent to hospital care after he was crushed by an elephant at a safari park in Bedfordshire.
The worker was cleaning the animals when ten-year-old Tarli slammed him against some steel bars.
He was left “screaming in agony” after the Asian elephant put its full force into the attack and is understood to have cracked his ribs.
