A tourist was killed by a “terrified” elephant while she was bathing the animal in a Thai reserve

“Panic” elephant A Spanish tourist was killed while bathing the animal in a reserve in southern Thailand, Thai police said on Monday.

The 23-year-old woman was hit by the animal’s stressed trunk at the Koh Yao Elephant Center in Phang Nga province, according to police.

“A tourist was killed while bathing an elephant,” local police chief Jaran Pangprasert told AFP.

The shelter refused to provide details about the incident when contacted by Agence France-Presse.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo The victim was identified as Blanca Oganjuren Garcia. She and her boyfriend were among eight tourists at the shelter when the incident occurred, the outlet reported. El Pais newspaper reported That she was a fifth-year law and international relations student at the University of Navarra and that she had recently completed her professional training at the Spanish Navy headquarters in Madrid.

In a Social media sharingThe mayor of Valladolid, Spain, expressed his condolences.

My sincere condolences to Blanca Oganjuren’s family as well as her other family at the school. @PinoalbarEdu to divide pic.twitter.com/1IpBb3sQw2

– Jesus Julio Carnero (@JesusJCarnero) January 3, 2025

“My deepest condolences to the family of Blanca Oganjuren,” Jesús Julio Carneiro wrote.

Spanish Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albarez, said that the Spanish Consulate in Bangkok is assisting Ojanjuren Garcia’s family. BBC reported.

The Koh Yao center offers “elephant care” shows that allow tourists to prepare food and feed the animals, as well as bathe and walk with them, according to the BBC. These packages cost between 1,900 baht ($55; £44) and 2,900 baht.

Wild elephants have killed 227 people, including tourists, in the past 12 years, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

A 49-year-old woman was killed by an elephant in a national park in northern Thailand’s Loei province last month.

last year, Two American women were killed In separate elephant attacks in Zambia.

While confrontations between villagers and wild elephants are common, attacks on reserves remain rare.

Elephant bathing is a popular activity among visitors in Thailand, where about 2,800 elephants are kept for tourism purposes across the country, according to Reuters. World Animal Protection.

However, animal rights groups say bathing elephants can cause distress, and some reserves in the country do not allow it.

In 2014, park rangers in Thailand found… The body of an American woman Who appears to have been trampled to death by elephants in a reserve outside Bangkok.