Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1736142015793Screenshot 2025-01-06 at 1.40.02 PM.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Joaquín Rivero, Unsplash</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>A &quot;panic-stricken&quot; elephant killed a Spanish tourist while she was bathing the animal at a sanctuary in southern Thailand, police said on Monday.</p><p>The 23-year-old woman was hit by the stressed animal&#x27;s trunk at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre in Phang Nga province, according to police.</p><p>&quot;A female tourist was killed while bathing an elephant,&quot; Jaran Bangprasert, the local police chief told AFP.</p><p>Authorities have contacted the Spanish embassy to confirm the victim&#x27;s identity.</p><p>The sanctuary declined to provide details of the incident when contacted by AFP.</p><p>Wild elephants have killed 227 people, including tourists, in the past 12 years, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.</p><p>An elephant killed a 49-year-old woman at a national park in Loei province in northern Thailand last month.</p><p>While encounters between villagers and wild elephants are common, attacks at sanctuaries remain rare.</p><p>Bathing elephants is a popular activity among visitors in Thailand, where about 2,800 elephants are held for tourism purposes across the country, according to World Animal Protection.</p><p>However, animal rights groups argue that bathing elephants can cause them distress and some sanctuaries in the country do not allow it.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/12/03/23/animal-rights-advocates-call-for-changes-at-manila-zoo">Animal rights advocates call for changes at Manila Zoo</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/19/zimbabwe-to-cull-200-elephants-to-feed-drought-hit-communities-217">Zimbabwe to cull 200 elephants to feed drought-hit communities</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/10/5/thai-sanctuary-struggles-to-save-elephants-after-flash-floods-1755">Thai sanctuary struggles to save elephants after flash floods</a></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>A "panic-stricken" elephant killed a Spanish tourist while she was bathing the animal at a sanctuary in southern Thailand, police said on Monday.</p>

A "panic-stricken" elephant killed a Spanish tourist while she was bathing the animal at a sanctuary in southern Thailand, police said on Monday.

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Spanish tourist killed by elephant at Thai sanctuary

Spanish tourist killed by elephant at Thai sanctuary

Agence France-Presse

Published Jan 06, 2025 01:41 PM PHT

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