Tourist Killed in Elephant Ride in Thailand Sparks Safety Debate

In Thailand, tourists are known to flock to witness majestic elephants as they roam around the city. To some extent, there are even those who take part in fulfilling their dream of being able to ride on top of an elephant in an activity known as elephant trekking. Millions of tourists flock to the country to have a firsthand account of what it's like to ride on top of an elephant.

Tourists, however, will have a change of heart when they learn of the death of a Scottish man who was killed by a rampaging elephant during a trek last Monday. The tourist, as identified by the Daily Record, was 36-year-old Gareth Crowe. 

According to reports, Crowe was on an elephant trek with his 16-year-old daughter in the island of Koh Samui. As reports show, the two were riding on top of the elephant when the handler dismounted to photograph the father-daughter moment. This prompted the 13-year-old elephant to gore the handler with his tusk and toss the two tourists from his back. He then gored and trampled Crowe to death before fleeing into the forest. He was also reportedly stabbed in the torso by the tusk of the elephant. Crowe was killed in front of his daughter, who sustained minor injuries. She is being treated in a local hospital.

Huffington Post reported that as early as two days before the incident, witnesses already noticed that the elephant, named Golf, was upset and refused to follow his handler's instructions. The incident sparked the issues that animal-rights group, PETA, had long been fighting for.

On its email to TIME, the prominent group cited four other related deaths in Thailand that had occurred since 2011. The group cites that the incident was a "tragic reminder of the reasons" why these majestic beasts should not be ridden.

Ashley Fruno, the group's senior campaigner, also states that when tourists sign up for these elephant rides, they risk their own safety and also support the cruelty that these animals encounter on a daily basis just to entertain them.

Tags

Gareth Crowe, Koh Samui, Elephant, Elephant trek, PETA, Death

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