An elephant in Thailand killed a Scottish tourist on Monday, stamping and goring the man to death in front of his teenage daughter.
CNN reported that Gareth Crowe, 36, and his 16-year-old daughter, Eilidh, were riding the elephant when it shook them off its back. Its handler had reportedly temporarily dismounted to take pictures of the riders. After being thrown to the ground, Crowe was subsequently killed by the beast, and Eilidh was ultimately admitted to the hospital with minor injuries.
The elephant was a 13-year-old bull named Golf,
according to Sky News.
"Police have yet to press charges on anyone," said Wongsiri Promchana, governor of Surat Thani province. "They are now looking into whether the incident was an accident or could have been prevented."
Likewise, a British embassy spokesperson said, "We are offering support to the family of a British national who has sadly died following an incident in Koh Samui, Thailand, and are in touch with the local authorities to seek further information."
The investigation is likely to focus on whether the elephant was in musth, a period of heightened testosterone thought to cause aggressive behavior in bulls.
"If an elephant is coming into musth, it should have been relaxing somewhere in the forest as they can become very aggressive," said John Roberts, director of elephants at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation.
"If you don't spot the signs they can become highly dangerous," he added.
The World Animal Protection charity released a statement of condolence to Crowe's family, and added, "Elephants are cruelly abused to tame them enough so they give rides and perform in shows. Most tourists don't know about these abuses, or the potential danger they put themselves in. If you can ride it, hug it, or have a selfie with a wild animal, then the chances are it is cruel and the animal is suffering."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.