Spanish student dies after being attacked by elephant in Thailand

[Liverpool Lou]

4 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

6 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

The elephants in question are not wild, they are domesticated.

 

No such thing, they are wild animals, period!

No, they are domesticated.  Ending your post with "Period" doesn't make it factual.

[Dogmatix]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14249839/Spanish-student-killed-elephant-knocked-trunk-Thailand.html

 

How sad!

 

A number of foreign tourists are killed by elephants every year at venues where elephants are used as tourist attractions. The government does nothing because there is no political backlash from the “accidental deaths" of random foreigners and elephants a money spinner that may just be abandoned, if no longer profitable.

 

Elephants are wild animals and should be admired from a safe distance.

[Liverpool Lou]

4 minutes ago, BarBoy said:

End this barbaric and dangerous activity now!

 

Elephants are wild and unpredictable animals and anyone that pays money to enable this sort of thing deserves everything they get IMO.

 

Same goes for the Tigers & the Crocodiles..

What a load of absolute cobblers.  Bathing domesticated elephants is not "barbaric".   

 

"Same goes for the Tigers & the Crocodiles.."

Huh?  Where are these tiger and crocodile bathing events that you reference held?

[hellohello123]

7 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, it is just you trying hard to paint a poor picture of Thailand by highlighting events that happen so infrequently they're almost irrelevant.   

Incorrect.

I am not trying to positivify or negatify Thailand, however when i read all these incidents , and think "this place is dangerous for tourists" thats when it either is becoming more dangerous or the media is selectively reporting these

[recom273]

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Very tragic.

I wasn't aware before of participating in elephant bathing being a tourist attraction. 

Without knowing the details it seems to me to be rather a questionable one. 

 

Yes, the whole thing is questionable. It was a popular activity, along with elephant riding. Elephants don’t really appreciate the bathing process or need washing on a daily basis. These days it’s frowned upon yet some places do it, usually those who still offer rides. 
 

Maybe now, the activity will be outlawed .. but maybe it will be just driven underground - although non-contact, ethical elephant sanctuaries are the rage amongst western tourists, I hear that there are still camps that cater to Asian tourists who demand elephant riding, petting, feeding, etc. 

[SiSePuede419]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

22-year-old who was studying Law

She sure was!

In fact, you might say she learned the "hard way".

 

A quick chat with ChatGPT would have informed her about the

Law of the Jungle.

 

Instead she FAFO*

 

*<deleted> around and found out 🐘

 

Yes, elephants can be dangerous, especially if they feel threatened, startled, or if people invade their personal space. While elephants are generally peaceful and social animals, their size, strength, and unpredictable behavior make them potentially hazardous in certain situations. Here are a few reasons why elephants might attack:

 

1. Territorial Instincts: Elephants can become aggressive if they feel their space or territory is being invaded.

 

2. Maternal Instincts: Female elephants with calves are highly protective and can become defensive if they perceive a threat.

 

3. Musth in Males: Male elephants in musth (a period of heightened testosterone) are often more aggressive and unpredictable.

 

4. Stress or Agitation: Habitat loss, human activities, or loud noises can agitate elephants.

 

5. Provocation: Approaching too closely, making sudden movements, or attempting to interact with them can provoke an attack.

 

The incident you mentioned serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting wildlife and maintaining a safe distance. Tourists should follow local guidelines and advice from experienced guides when visiting areas with wild elephants.

 

[lordgrinz]

4 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, they are domesticated.  Ending your post with "Period" doesn't make it factual.

 

Again, no such thing, they are wild animals, and they shouldn't be exploited. These aren't cats and dogs, or hamsters, they are indeed wild animals no matter what you want to believe.

[Liverpool Lou]

9 minutes ago, ryandb said:

Elephants should be observed from afar by all tourists. I went to Sri Lanka a decade ago to watch the Gathering we trailed them with a guide from a distance, didn't once feed or interact with them.

"I went to Sri Lanka a decade ago to watch the Gathering..."

Wild elephants.   The animals in the OP are domesticated, a huge difference.

[Liverpool Lou]

9 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

Elephants are wild animals and should be admired from a safe distance.

These domesticated animals are not wild.

[Cabradelmar]

Sad and tragic. At the end of the day they are wild animals, and therefore unpredictable. My preference is to steer clear of all wild animals.

[Sydebolle]

The Sweetie should have worked as a Moh Nuwat (a massage girl) in one of the many soapies all over the land instead. Apart from possibly being properly hammered she would have been paid for her services. 

On a more sombre note; while it is of course very tragic for the young student she should have known not to mess with something she had not the slightest clue about. The elephant might have been confused, irritated or felt insecure and danger. 

The average person has no clue, how animals react and the handler might or might not have known but certainly got paid for the services to tourism. Why, do you think, there is no "bathing with elephants" anywhere in Europe and no, it is not the different weather pattern ......... nobody would ever think of starting such business, even if it would be legal. 

[Liverpool Lou]

10 minutes ago, hellohello123 said:

20 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, it is just you trying hard to paint a poor picture of Thailand by highlighting events that happen so infrequently they're almost irrelevant.   

Incorrect.

I am not trying to positivify or negatify Thailand, however when i read all these incidents , and think "this place is dangerous for tourists" thats when it either is becoming more dangerous or the media is selectively reporting these

No, my post was not incorrect, to quote you, "the media is selectively reporting these", in this case that media is you!

[Airalee]

I visited the elephants at the Krabi elephant hospital a number of years ago.  
 

I was feeding bananas to a young elephant under supervision of the mahout.   No teasing, no withholding, nothing.  

 

All was fine until the bananas ran out and the calf grabbed my wrist with its trunk.  The animal obviously didn’t know it’s own strength and could have easily broken my wrist had the mahout not handled things in an expeditious manner.

 

I will never go near one again.

[ryandb]

9 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"I went to Sri Lanka a decade ago to watch the Gathering..."

Wild elephants.   The animals in the OP are domesticated, a huge difference.

No elephant is ever domesticated!

 

It's considered unethical to bathe with any Elephants, there's endless debates how it's a mean to an ends to allow the sanctuaries to survive the huge cost but it is for one massively unhygienic for the human, and 2 Elephants like peace and quiet and being surrounded by a bunch of people squealing how cute they are and snapping selfies is not natural.

[TTSIssues]

As I understand it, bathing elephants was brought in as a result of people saying that riding them was cruel.

 

the problem is that elephants are hugely expensive to keep, and since logging has been banned, they now have no work.

 

If they aren’t used for tourism purposes then how to pay for their upkeep? The option is to cull them - which is horrible. 

[alex8912]

15 minutes ago, recom273 said:

Yes, the whole thing is questionable. It was a popular activity, along with elephant riding. Elephants don’t really appreciate the bathing process or need washing on a daily basis. These days it’s frowned upon yet some places do it, usually those who still offer rides. 
 

Maybe now, the activity will be outlawed .. but maybe it will be just driven underground - although non-contact, ethical elephant sanctuaries are the rage amongst western tourists, I hear that there are still camps that cater to Asian tourists who demand elephant riding, petting, feeding, etc. 

it's a huge money maker and probably one of the top Instagram etc pics you see of new tourists almost always in their 20's and 30's putting up. It's rare to see a new tourist NOT doing this ritual. 

[Liverpool Lou]

16 minutes ago, recom273 said:

Elephants don’t really appreciate the bathing process

How do you know that, did an elephant tell you?

[MalcolmB]

28 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

 

No such thing, they are wild animals, period!

No these are domesticated and would not survive in the wild.

there is a big difference 

[Liverpool Lou]

17 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

23 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, they are domesticated.  Ending your post with "Period" doesn't make it factual.

 

Again, no such thing, they are wild animals

No the elephants in question are domesticated, they are not wild elephants.

[songhklasid]

RIP princess, trajic accident 

regards SS 

[Krabi King]

The only ethical way to see elephants is to watch them only and possibly walk with them at safe distance. There's a few real sanctuaries in Thailand that offer this. All the others are made "sanctuaries" that used to be riding camps. Of course these elephants need to eat as well, but the owners need to change their business and not be allowed to aquire or breed new elephants for the sole purpose of pleasing tourists.

 

 

[phil2407]

Better to read the Yahoo version- wasn’t its trunk, it gored her with the tusk!! 
so which version is honest or to protect “the image” ?? 

[Liverpool Lou]

16 minutes ago, ryandb said:

t's considered unethical to bathe with any Elephants

Says who?

[JellyBabies]

49 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Why would he need to ask permission from people who are cavorting in public?

To be honest considering the amount of tattoos that they have I can barely see the bikini

[Liverpool Lou]

5 minutes ago, phil2407 said:

Better to read the Yahoo version- wasn’t its trunk, it gored her with the tusk!! 
so which version is honest or to protect “the image” ?? 

From this OP...

"initial reports erroneously mentioned that Garcia had been gored, but this was rectified by Spanish news agency EFE, clarifying the nature of what transpired".

[Liverpool Lou]

23 minutes ago, ryandb said:

36 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"I went to Sri Lanka a decade ago to watch the Gathering..."

Wild elephants.   The animals in the OP are domesticated, a huge difference.

No elephant is ever domesticated!

Domesticated elephants are.

[recom273]

31 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

 

Again, no such thing, they are wild animals, and they shouldn't be exploited. These aren't cats and dogs, or hamsters, they are indeed wild animals no matter what you want to believe.

Absolutely! There is no place in this day and age for elephant tourism. It may be in question that they are domesticated or not, I agree with you - however, it’s all animal exploitation. To tame these animals they undergo an unpleasant process of breaking at a young age by the mahoot, it’s called “crushing” (I don’t cite wiki as an impartial source, but just for reference). I don’t remember the need to train my cat in such a manner.

We now have non-contact ethical sanctuaries, filled with rescued animals - rescued from where? Elephants were stopped being used in logging since 1984, so now elephants are produced to be dragged around the villages peddling trinkets or perform tricks at fairs aimed at the local market. They are offered as rescue animals, I hear it costs 1M THB from an owner, others may be temporarily rescued by renting them. These ethical sanctuaries are money making enterprises.
 

The whole elephant tourism game is shady - it should be stopped. 

 

[impulse]

The fact that there are places like Thailand where you can interact with them probably drives 90% of the funding to protect the wild ones in Asia.

It's a conundrum...  Just like the fact that more people are probably killed falling in the bathroom than on the adventure of a lifetime.  There's no fun without some sense of risk.

 

[Joe32]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, it is just you trying hard to paint a poor picture of Thailand by highlighting events that happen so infrequently they're almost irrelevant.   

This was a good chance to use irrelephant

[Sig]

51 minutes ago, TTSIssues said:

As I understand it, bathing elephants was brought in as a result of people saying that riding them was cruel.

 

the problem is that elephants are hugely expensive to keep, and since logging has been banned, they now have no work.

 

If they aren’t used for tourism purposes then how to pay for their upkeep? The option is to cull them - which is horrible. 

Could always just let nature take care of itself. They'll starve to death and their numbers will get to a sustainable point.