An expert on Asian elephants sounds the alarm about “elephant sanctuaries” after a The tourist was killed While visiting someone in Thailand.
Blanca Ojanguren Garcia, 22, a law student at the University of Navarra, died last week. She was bathing an elephant at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Center when the 50-year-old animal killed her with his trunk, according to Spanish media.
The company told Spanish newspaper El Mundo that about 18 people were in the shelter at the time, including the victim's friend. No other visitors were injured, and details of the incident, such as how the animals were treated, remain unknown.
But the incident raises questions about the safety of elephant sanctuaries, which attract tourists with promises of getting up close to the animals.
Concerns have been raised about elephant tourism after the killing of a Spanish student last week. (iStock/Getty Images)
Duncan McNair, CEO of a London-based charity saving asian elephants, He spoke with Fox News Digital about the tragedy and warned that tourists should think twice before they visit.
“The term ‘safe haven’, a bit like ‘sanctuaries’ and ‘orphanages,’ is a very poor term and usually devoid of meaning or certainly devoid of accuracy,” McNair said. “the The vast majority of reserves in Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Cambodia… are not ethical. “They are savages, and they do it all for the money.”
It is still not known why the elephant struck Garcia, or how the sanctuary's operators dealt with the creature before killing it. But McNair said it was likely the elephant was unaware of its strength, but was likely lashing out at the conditions in which it was being held.
“(The trunk) is an extraordinarily versatile, durable, multi-purpose organ,” McNair explained. “The elephant is not randomly swinging or swinging its trunk. … It is extremely unlikely that this is an accident.
McNair advises tourists against interacting too closely with elephants, citing concerns on both sides. (iStock/Getty Images)
“So why did that happen? Well, of course, because the elephant, like all elephants captured for commercial exploitation, was being held in a completely unnatural state, in extreme stress.”
He stressed that although elephants are gentle and intelligent animals, their “calmness” does not mean they are tame. They can become upset by any threat or pressure they perceive, even if it is a well-meaning tourist.
“Elephants are wild animals…they are held captive after being brutalized until they submit,” McNair explained. “But that doesn't mean they're tame. It simply means they feel terrified for periods of time.
“If they see their opportunity, or if they are exhausted, They will attack And kill.”
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Elephant sanctuaries tempt tourists with opportunities to touch elephants, but they can pose severe risks. (iStock/Getty Images)
The animal rights advocate noted that although elephants are “wonderful and complex” herbivores, they will still respond aggressively when threatened.
“They react, sometimes extremely, when something flashes across the corner of their vision,” McNair explained. “So, putting an elephant that has been abused in captivity for perhaps decades, in close proximity to a young woman who probably has little experience with elephants and no proper training, is an absolute recipe for disaster.”
McNair, who also works as a corporate lawyer, noted that elephant mistreatment begins before they even set foot in sanctuaries. Elephants are often kidnapped by poachers who commit atrocities ranging from killing mothers in front of their children to repeatedly stabbing baby elephants to force them to surrender.
Elephants, although gentle, pose a danger to humans when mistreated. (iStock/Getty Images)
“With elephants that have been brutalized and abused and used for tourism, it is very dangerous. … These activities are not only extremely disastrous for the elephants, they are extremely dangerous for humans,” he said.
Through Save Asian Elephants, McNair has advocated for legislation to stop abusive practices against animals, such as the Animals (Offshore Low Care Activities) Act passed by the British Parliament in 2023. This work also recently led to him being named a 2024 Legal Champion of the Year Before the Law Society of England and Wales.
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Now, he and other animal rights advocates are examining tourism companies that encourage unethical treatment of elephants. McNair said some sanctuaries treat elephants ethically, and he advised tourists to do research before booking their trips for their own safety and the safety of the elephants.
“(We want) to try to steer the animal tourism market from cruel to ethical,” McNair explained. “That's the real intention, not shutting down travel companies, nothing like that. It's helping animals and helping people who want to make money from animal tourism. … That's fine, but be ethical about it.”
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