A young woman was killed by an Asian elephant at a sanctuary in Thailand on Friday during a bathing session gone wrong, according to officials.
Blanca Ojanguren, a 22-year-old Spanish citizen, was on a visit to Koh Yao Elephant Care on Yao Yai Island with her boyfriend when the incident occurred, as reported by Spanish newspaper El Mundo. She was a law student at the University of Navarra at that time.
The sanctuary staff at Koh Yao Elephant Care mentioned to the Spanish media that a 50-year-old elephant shoved Ojanguren with its trunk while she was washing it, resulting in a fatal injury. Approximately 18 individuals, including the victim’s boyfriend, were present at the sanctuary during the incident.
The tourist was rushed to a local hospital where she later died, the sanctuary owner said. The business temporarily closed as a result.
CEO of Save the Asian Elephants, Duncan McNair, informed Newsweek that elephants can be sensitive to mistreatment and may become anxious due to human actions.
“[It] is yet another stark reminder that Asian elephants are, and always remain, wild animals that can attack and kill when they are abused or overly stressed by humans,” McNair said.
At zoos in the United States, visitors and most staff members are usually prohibited from touching elephants. But elephant sanctuaries in Thailand lure tourists with promises of up-close interactions with the animals.
According to the Global Federal of Animal Sanctuaries, the quality of animal sanctuaries, including elephant sanctuaries, varies widely.
“It is a poorly regulated industry, in which facilities that keep animals in deplorable conditions can identify themselves as compared to those of the highest quality,” the site reads. “For anyone invested in the welfare of captive animals, there is a need to differentiate the best sanctuaries and rescues to determine where funds would be best invested, where the need for help is greatest, who provides a model to follow and who can be turned to in times of crisis.”
Asian elephants are gentle animals but are still capable of killing humans in certain situations. (iStock)
Koh Yao Elephant Care did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital reached out to wildlife experts for more information.
