Spanish Tourist Killed by Elephant at Thai Sanctuary

A 22-year-old Spanish tourist was killed by an elephant while bathing the animal at a sanctuary in southern Thailand on Friday, January 3, 2025. Blanca Ojanguren Garcia, a student from Valladolid, Spain, was gored by the elephant’s tusk during the activity at the Koh Yao Elephant Care center on Koh Yao Yai island.

According to Koh Yao district police chief Charan Bangprasert, Garcia and her boyfriend were participating in a popular tourist activity when the elephant appeared to panic and attacked her. The incident occurred while the couple was on a day trip from Phuket, a nearby resort island. The sanctuary owner reported the incident to authorities, and an investigation is ongoing.

Garcia, a fifth-year law and international relations student at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, was in Thailand as part of a university exchange program in Taiwan. The university released a statement expressing condolences to her family and requesting prayers for her soul. The Spanish Embassy in Thailand confirmed her death and is providing consular assistance to her relatives.

Thailand is home to both wild and domesticated elephants, with an estimated 3,000-4,000 wild elephants remaining, a significant decline from over 100,000 in the early 20th century. Meanwhile, the number of captive elephants has risen by 134% between 2010 and 2020, with approximately 2,800 held in tourism venues, according to World Animal Protection.

The charity has criticized the exploitation of elephants in tourism, citing the animals’ high intelligence and emotional complexity. They argue that captive environments, particularly those involving direct human contact, pose significant risks to both elephants and people.

This tragic incident highlights the ongoing challenges of human-elephant interactions in Thailand, where conflicts have resulted in at least 227 deaths over the past 12 years, including 39 fatalities in 2024 alone.