Thailand mahout charged after elephant kills tourist

Thai police have charged a driver after an elephant in his care killed a Spanish tourist last week.

Local authorities said on Monday that Therayut Nthaphodkej, 38, was charged with negligence causing death.

The tourist – 22-year-old Blanca Oganjuren Garcia – suffered a head injury after the elephant pushed her while she was bathing the animal. She later died in hospital.

Her death has renewed concerns about Thailand’s thriving elephant tourism industry, which animal rights groups have long criticized as unethical and dangerous.

Activists say bathing elephants disrupts natural grooming behaviors and can harm the animals, exposing them to unnecessary stress.

After the attack, experts said the elephant may have been stressed due to its interaction with tourists.

Garcia was injured by the female elephant, Phang Sumpun, 45, at the Koh Yao Elephant Center in southern Thailand. Her boyfriend, who was traveling with her, was also at the center during the incident.

There are nearly 3,000 elephants captive at tourist attractions across Thailand, according to an estimate by the World Animal Protection charity.

“Incidents such as these highlight the dangers to humans and animals alike,” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) told the BBC in a statement.

“Any sanctuary that allows humans to touch, feed, bathe or interact closely with elephants in any way is not an elephant sanctuary and puts the lives of tourists and animals at serious risk,” said Jason Baker, PETA’s senior vice president. .

Similar accusations of negligence have previously been leveled against motorcyclists whose elephants killed tourists.

In 2017, an elephant camp owner and a motorist were charged with reckless abandon causing death and injury after an elephant killed a Chinese tour guide and injured two tourists in the Thai beach town of Pattaya. In 2013, a 27-year-old elephant had its tusks cut off after it attacked and killed a woman.

Garcia, a law and international relations student at Spain’s University of Navarra, was living in Taiwan as part of a student exchange program. She and her boyfriend arrived in Thailand on December 26, 2024.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez said the Spanish consulate in Bangkok was assisting Garcia’s family.

Additional reporting by Kelly Ng