BANGKOK, Feb. 2 (UPI) — Gareth Crowe, a Scottish tourist visiting Thailand, died after an elephant he and his stepdaughter were riding threw them off its back and gored him.
Crowe, 36, and his teenage stepdaughter were on an elephant trek while on vacation in Thailand’s Koh Samui island. Both were thrown off the elephant’s back but Crowe died instantly after being trampled and gored in the chest.
The stepdaughter received treatment in a hospital after sustaining minor injuries. The elephant, named Golf, ran into the forest after the incident.
Reports indicate Golf was agitated and stressed, perhaps due to heat, and the elephant handler — called a mahout — was having difficulty controlling Golf. The handler may also have been attacked by the 13-year-old elephant.
Britain’s Foreign Office said it was aware of the incident and that it was assisting Crowe’s family.
“We are offering support to the family of a British national who has sadly died following an incident in Koh Samui, Thailand, and are making contact with the local authorities to seek further information,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
