Thai police have charged a mahout after an elephant in his care mauled a Spanish tourist to death last week.
Theerayut Inthaphudkij, 38, has been charged with negligence causing death, local authorities said on Monday.
The tourist – 22-year-old Blanca Ojanguren García – was bathing an elephant at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Center in southern Thailand when she was attacked by an animal.
This has renewed concerns about Thailand’s booming elephant industry, which has long been criticized by animal rights groups as unethical and dangerous.
Activists say bathing elephants interferes with natural grooming and can injure the animals, exposing them to unnecessary stress.
After the attack, experts assessed that the elephant may have been under stress from interacting with tourists.
García suffered a head injury – and later died in hospital – after the elephant, 45-year-old female Phang Somboon, pushed her with its tusk. The attack was witnessed by her boyfriend who was traveling with her.
There are nearly 3,000 elephants kept in tourist attractions across Thailand, according to estimates by the international charity World Animal Protection.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) told the BBC in a statement that “such incidents highlight the dangers to both people and animals”.
“Any ‘sanctuary’ that allows people 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 critical risk,” said Pete Senior Vice President Jason Baker.
Similar charges of negligence have already been leveled against mahouts whose elephants have killed tourists.
In 2017, an elephant camp owner and a mahout were charged with recklessness causing death and injury after an elephant killed a Chinese tour guide and injured two tourists in the Thai beach city of Pattaya. In 2013, a 27-year-old elephant had its tusks cut off after it attacked and killed a woman.
García, a law and international relations student at Spain’s University of Navarra, lived 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 Albares said the Spanish consulate in Bangkok was assisting Garcia’s family.
Additional reporting by Kelly Ng
