6-1-2025 (PHUKET) A tragic incident at a tourist elephant park on Thailand’s Yao Yai island has claimed the life of a 22-year-old Spanish student, raising fresh concerns about elephant-based tourism in Southeast Asia.
Blanca Ojanguren García, from Valladolid, was participating in an elephant bathing activity at Koh Yao Elephant care center when the incident occurred on 3 January. The law and international relations student from the University of Navarra, who was studying abroad in Taiwan, had been holidaying in Thailand when disaster struck.
Initial reports suggesting Ms García had been gored were later dismissed by Spanish news agency EFE, which confirmed she was struck by the elephant’s trunk during the activity. The incident occurred in front of 18 other tourists, including her boyfriend, none of whom sustained injuries.
The elephant park, which authorities have not publicly named whilst investigations continue, has temporarily ceased operations. The facility is one of many such attractions across Thailand catering to the burgeoning wildlife tourism sector.
Thailand’s elephant tourism industry, which involves approximately 4,000 domesticated elephants, has long drawn scrutiny from animal welfare advocates. A similar number of elephants reside in the nation’s sanctuaries, national parks, and nature reserves.
The Spanish consulate in Bangkok has extended support to Ms García’s bereaved family as they navigate this devastating situation. This incident adds to Thailand’s concerning statistics regarding elephant-related fatalities, with official figures from the Department of National Parks revealing 240 deaths from wild elephant encounters in the past 12 years. The year 2024 alone saw 39 such fatalities.
