BANGKOK: Thai police charged a mahout with negligence on Wednesday after an elephant killed a Spanish tourist at a sanctuary in southern Thailand last week, police said.
The 23-year-old Spanish woman died after a “panic-stricken” elephant struck her with its trunk at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre in Phang Nga province.
Police charged the mahout, an employee of the sanctuary, with negligence and failing to prevent the fatal incident.
“We charged him with negligence causing death and he will be taken to court today,“ local police chief Jaran Bangprasert told AFP.
The mahout, identified by local media as a 38-year-old Thai, faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 200,000 baht ($5,700).
Wild elephants have killed 227 people, including tourists, in the past 12 years, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
An elephant killed a 49-year-old woman at a national park in Loei province in northern Thailand last month.
While encounters between villagers and wild elephants are common, attacks at sanctuaries remain rare.
Bathing elephants is a popular activity among visitors in Thailand, where about 2,800 elephants are held for tourism purposes across the country, according to World Animal Protection.
However, animal rights groups argue that bathing elephants can cause them distress and some sanctuaries in the country do not allow it.
