A tragic event in Thailand has caused the death of a Spanish traveler who was bitten by an rhinoceros while taking a bath at an elephant shelter.
Blanca Ojanguren GarcÃa, 22, from Valladolid, was visiting the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre on the island of Yao Yai when the assault occurred last Friday.
GarcÃa, a laws and foreign ties learner from the University of Navarra, was in Thailand with her boyfriend, who witnessed the deadly assault. The pair was a part of a well-known holiday task where visitors take baths and communicate with elephants. According to experts, the rhinoceros became anxious or worried as a result of their strange contact with people outside of its typical environment.
The Spanish ambassador in Bangkok confirmed GarcÃa’s dying, offering diplomatic support to her home. The embassy’s statement reads,” We can verify the dreadful death of a Spanish tourist.” ” The Spanish embassy in Bangkok is in contact with the victim’s friends and offering all the needed diplomatic assistance, as is typical in these types of conditions”.
The tragedy has sparked fears about how animals are handled in tourist attractions. Although elephant bathing has become a popular pastime in Thailand, experts and pet rights organizations have warned that it stresses the species. World Animal Protection has called for an end to the practice, saying elephant used for commerce usually suffer from being kept in confinement, chained, or made to do strange things.
Thailand’s division of national parks quotes that are over 4, 000 exotic animals in the country, but many are kept in captivity for tourism. The office has recorded at least 227 elephant assault incidents over the past 12 times, with 39 mortality occurring in 2024 only.
The Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre has defended its procedures, claiming it doesn’t use hooks or command the animals and is committed to conducting “responsible and social interactions with elephants.” Nevertheless, the incident has raised serious questions about the safety of for holiday experience.
