KOH SAMUI, THAILAND – FEBRUARY 1, 2016 36-year-old Scottish tourist, Gareth Norman Crowe, was killed by an elephant on the Thai island of Koh Samui. The incident occurred near the Wang Takhian waterfall.
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- Gareth Norman Crowe 1
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- Gareth Norman Crowe 2
Gareth had paid for a popular attraction in Thailand – an elephant ride. A 13-year-old male elephant named Rambo unexpectedly stopped during the trek and began acting aggressively. In a fit of rage, he threw everyone off his back.
Rambo
While everyone else managed to escape, Gareth had a prosthetic leg and was left at the mercy of the enraged animal. The elephant first crushed him and then gored him with his tusks.
There is speculation about the reasons that led the elephant to this unexpected aggression. While witnesses claim the animal was mistreated and forced to pose for photos with tourists, the elephant’s owner denied any responsibility, claiming Gareth himself provoked the animal by improperly feeding it bananas. Experts in the field mentioned that mating season or long-term exposure to hot weather in direct sunlight could have contributed to the aggression.
