Tourist crushed to death by elephants during a fight at an Indian sanctuary
A tourist was crushed to death by an elephant at a sanctuary in India. The accident reopens the debate over the safety and ethics of wildlife tourism.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Tourist crushed to death by an elephant in India: sanctuary business under scrutiny
On Monday, a 33-year-old tourist died at an elephant sanctuary in Karnataka (southern India) after being trapped beneath one of the animals during a fight between two elephants. The tragedy reopens the debate over the safety and ethics of hands-on wildlife tourism, a sector that moves millions of dollars in the Asian country and which, according to its defenders, funds the conservation of endangered species.
The incident and the official response
The woman, from Tamil Nadu, was watching the elephants bathe in a river when one of them attacked another, causing the animal to fall on top of her. The sanctuary, which offers activities such as bathing and feeding "elephants trained by naturalists" according to its website, has been shaken by the accident. Karnataka's Minister of Forests, Ecology and Environment, Eshwar Khandre, has ordered an investigation and asked for activities involving close contact between tourists and elephants to be restricted.
Refuge or business: the two faces of sanctuaries
The underlying debate pits two views against each other: on one side, those who argue that these centres are refuges that rescue mistreated elephants and are funded by tourism; on the other, those who point out that the animals live chained and conditioned from a young age, as the chains on their legs visible at many facilities demonstrate. "They are kept alone their whole lives, hardly refuges," critics say, while supporters argue that without tourism revenue many of the animals would not survive.
Known risks and accident figures
This is not an isolated case. A year ago, a Spanish tourist died in Thailand after being attacked by an elephant while bathing it. Elephants are multi-tonne animals that, even when trained, can react unpredictably. Video of the Thai attack circulated widely after the news broke, a reminder that the risk is no anecdote.
The investigation will determine whether the rules are tightened, but the underlying question remains: how much is the risk of an elephant selfie worth?
Related discussions in the forum
On Monday, a 33-year-old tourist died at an elephant sanctuary in Karnataka (southern India) after being trapped beneath one of the animals during a fight between two elephants. The tragedy reopens the debate over the safety and ethics of hands-on wildlife tourism, a sector that moves millions of dollars in the Asian country and which, according to its defenders, funds the conservation of endangered species.
The incident and the official response
The woman, from Tamil Nadu, was watching the elephants bathe in a river when one of them attacked another, causing the animal to fall on top of her. The sanctuary, which offers activities such as bathing and feeding "elephants trained by naturalists" according to its website, has been shaken by the accident. Karnataka's Minister of Forests, Ecology and Environment, Eshwar Khandre, has ordered an investigation and asked for activities involving close contact between tourists and elephants to be restricted.
Refuge or business: the two faces of sanctuaries
The underlying debate pits two views against each other: on one side, those who argue that these centres are refuges that rescue mistreated elephants and are funded by tourism; on the other, those who point out that the animals live chained and conditioned from a young age, as the chains on their legs visible at many facilities demonstrate. "They are kept alone their whole lives, hardly refuges," critics say, while supporters argue that without tourism revenue many of the animals would not survive.
Known risks and accident figures
This is not an isolated case. A year ago, a Spanish tourist died in Thailand after being attacked by an elephant while bathing it. Elephants are multi-tonne animals that, even when trained, can react unpredictably. Video of the Thai attack circulated widely after the news broke, a reminder that the risk is no anecdote.
The investigation will determine whether the rules are tightened, but the underlying question remains: how much is the risk of an elephant selfie worth?
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (43 replies).
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