Thai police have charged a driver after an elephant in his care mauled a Spanish tourist to death last week.
Local authorities said on Monday that Therayut Nthaphodkej, 38, was charged with negligence causing death.
The tourist – Blanca Ojanjuren Garcia, 22 – was bathing the elephant at the Koh Yao Elephant Center in southern Thailand. When the animal attacked her.
This has renewed concerns about Thailand's booming 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 suffered a head injury — and later died in hospital — after 45-year-old female elephant Phang Somboon pushed her with her tusker. Her boyfriend, who was traveling with her, witnessed the attack.
There are nearly 3,000 elephants captive at tourist attractions across Thailand, according to an estimate by the World Animal Protection charity.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) told the BBC in a statement: “Incidents such as these highlight the dangers to humans and animals alike.”
“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
