Law student killed by elephant during vacation to Thailand: officials

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A young woman was killed by an Asian elephant at a sanctuary in Thailand on Friday during a bathing session gone wrong, according to officials.

Spanish citizen Blanca Ojanguren, 22, was visiting Koh Yao Elephant Care on Yao Yai Island with her boyfriend at the time of the incident, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported over the weekend. She studied law at the University of Navarra at the time.

Koh Yao Elephant Care told the Spanish outlet that a 50-year-old elephant pushed Ojanguren with its trunk while she bathed it, causing a fatal blow. Around 18 people were at the sanctuary at the time, including the victim’s boyfriend.

The tourist was rushed to a local hospital where she later died, the sanctuary owner said. The business temporarily closed as a result.

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Blanca Ojanguren, 22, was visiting Koh Yao Elephant Care on Yao Yai Island at the time of her death. (Equestrian Federation of Castilla y León via Facebook)

Experts told Argentine newspaper Clarin that the elephant was likely stressed from interacting with tourists outside its natural habitat, but officials have not released details about what led up to the attack. 

Koh Yao Elephant Care offers tourist packages ranging from $50 to $85 USD, according to its booking website. The company offered two-hour sessions with elephants that included activities ranging from cooking classes to kayak sessions. 

“Visitors often have the opportunity to join guided tours led by knowledgeable staff who educate guests about elephant behavior, biology, and the sanctuary’s mission,” the website reads. “This experience allows for a close encounter with these magnificent animals while respecting their well-being.”

Elephants, which are profoundly gentle and intelligent animals, are known to occasionally kill humans when under physical and psychological distress. In 2022, an Asian elephant ripped its trainer in half with its tusk in Thailand’s Phang Nga province.

Officials later discovered that the elephant’s handler had it haul wood to a rubber plantation in hot weather, causing the animal to become overwhelmed.

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Elephants Boon Thong, Ronaaldo and his mother, Lersu, stand on a hillside near Mae Sapok Village on July 21, 2020, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. (Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

At the time, Save the Asian Elephants CEO Duncan McNair told Newsweek that elephants are sensitive to abuse and can become stressed by human behavior.

“[It] is yet another stark reminder that Asian elephants are, and always remain, wild animals that can attack and kill when they are abused or overly stressed by humans,” McNair said.

At zoos in the United States, visitors and most staff members are usually prohibited from touching elephants. But elephant sanctuaries in Thailand lure tourists with promises of up-close interactions with the animals.

According to the Global Federal of Animal Sanctuaries, the quality of animal sanctuaries, including elephant sanctuaries, varies widely.

“It is a poorly regulated industry, in which facilities that keep animals in deplorable conditions can identify themselves as compared to those of the highest quality,” the site reads. “For anyone invested in the welfare of captive animals, there is a need to differentiate the best sanctuaries and rescues to determine where funds would be best invested, where the need for help is greatest, who provides a model to follow and who can be turned to in times of crisis.”

Asian elephants are gentle animals but are still capable of killing humans in certain situations. (iStock)

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Koh Yao Elephant Care did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital reached out to wildlife experts for more information.

Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to andrea.margolis@fox.com.

Related Topics

• Wild Nature
• World
• Asia
• Thailand
• Science