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A BRITISH TOURIST has been trampled to death by an elephant on the Thai tourist island of Koh Samui, the latest deadly attack by animals used to entertain holidaymakers.
The man, identified by police as Gareth Crowe, 36, was riding on the animal’s back with his daughter on Monday afternoon when it suddenly threw them off, police said.
“We suspect that the hot weather made the elephant angry and that he was not accustomed to his mahout,” said Paiboon Omark, Samui district chief.
A mahout is the person who trains, controls and rides an elephant, usually after years of building up a close bond with the animal.
Paiboon said Crowe had a prosthetic leg and was unable to run away from the marauding pachyderm.
His daughter and the mahout, a Myanmar national, were both injured but escaped and were out of danger, he added.
The elephant, named ‘Golf’, was tranquillised and brought under control, he said.
A spokesman at the British embassy said they were aware of the incident and were providing assistance to the victim’s family.
Thailand has an estimated 4,000 domesticated elephants, many working in the tourism trade, alongside some 2,500 wild elephants.
In August, an elephant killed his mahout with three terrified Chinese tourists still on his back. The tourists survived.
Thailand’s use of animals for tourism is under increased scrutiny following a string of scandals and investigations by rights groups.
The government is currently locked in a battle with a controversial Tiger Temple that refuses to hand over hundreds of big cats despite holding them illegally.
In 2013, the pop star Rihanna inadvertently highlighted another thriving illegal trade when she posted a selfie with a slow loris.
The endangered primates are a protected species yet are often found with illegal handlers in tourist regions who charge holidaymakers for pictures.
Conservationists are meeting with Thai government officials on Wednesday to lobby for better animal welfare standards across the tourism trade.
“In my view, male elephants should not be in the tourism industry, they’re simply too unpredictable,” Edwin Wiek, from Wildlife Friends of Thailand, one of the groups attending the meeting, told AFP.
He added that almost all the killings of mahouts and tourists during rides in recent years had involved male elephants, sometimes when they are in must, a state associated with the rutting season when males display aggressive behaviour fuelled by a surge of testosterone.
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… but will the banks pass on the rate cut?
Yes they will. They must increase the rate first for a few weeks before the cut kicks in reducing the rate to the same level it was last month. Only difference is banks get to borrow cheaper money.
Have not our banks already announced an increase?
so far AIB has , not sure about the rest of them
Watch ebs and their mates will bang up their rates again once this happens, absolutely sickening
What’s a tracker mortgage!
I don’t understand APR
A rate cut will hit tracker mortgages pushing them further below cost which our banks will have to compensate for with more current account fees, higher variable rate mortgages and will further increase the time until the taxpayer sees any bailout money… It’s giving with one hand and taking away with the other at this point.
But doesn’t it mean the rate is lowered for our banks paying back loans to the ECB? Maybe I’m wrong on this….
That was my understanding, although happy to be corrected.
Funny that got my letter today from ebs saying rate has gone from 4.33 to 4.58 . This country can go and f€€k itself .
Here’s a novel idea; the ECB should keep printing money; but rather than using it to shore up structural problems ( which doesn’t cause inflation ), they should print enough to maintain a EZ inflation rate of just over 2%. Inflation is too low in the EZ, it is hampering consumer spending and the probability of growth, and isn’t regulating inflation to stay at the most beneficial level one of the main functions of a Central Bank?
Inflation is TOO LOW???
You have to be kidding me. You must only care about the bankers and elite, not the poor and middle class.
Disgusting
Stop reading those Keynesian/Neoliberal econ books.
@ Michael – get away from the “me too”-ism and look at the bigger picture.
In times of very low inflation, there are very few incentives to spend your money, and a load of incentives to hoard your money. Normally, in times of low inflation, it makes far more sense to buy on credit rather than with cash.
Currently, however, there is a very understandable aversion to credit, both from people who would normally seek credit, and, more importantly, from those who supply credit.
So, low inflation + lack of credit sources = economic stagnation.
A higher level of inflation ( not a high level, but higher than the disastrously low level we have no ) would have the dual effect of getting money moving and reducing the weight of the debt.
High inflation will benefit debt-laden countries.
Absolutely none of the above has to do with Keynes, so I’ve no idea where you pulled that out of ( although I could be crude and suggest from where you pulled it ).
Low inflation is good for some ie people on fixed incomes, reduced pensions, reduced social welfare, those who have lost on bank shares and property. High inflation is good for the retail trade etc. Lets. keep inflation under control for the sake of those less fortunate with limited resources because they will suffer the most in times of high inflation. There has to be another solution to the problems being experienced by the retail trade which will be solved by growth and rising employment levels.
No inflation? Ok, let’s keep trying our current deflation approach. See you in a few million years when you’ve got that sorted.
@ Maurice – to be fair, we’re not talking about having high inflation. Two per cent is not high. While inflation would damage many people’s finances in one respect, I do believe a lot of the damage would be offset by the benefits in he mid-term.
As it is, we’ve seen a rise in the cost of living at the same time as the rate of inflation has been dropping, so, in this case, cost of living and inflation are not directly in proportion to each other.
Low inflation is a kiss of death for growth, and growth, including the jobs that go with it, what we desperately need.
Much as it makes me squeamish to agree with Censored, he’s on the money with his comment.
@ Censored – don’t worry, I won’t be making a habit of it :-)
So the answer to my original question is yes. I’ll use isms in context like I always have.
I don’t need to hear regurgitated rubbish from Krugman anymore please.
Tell me why deflation is a bad thing? Because it strengthens the value of money? Because it gives people induced incomes a chance? Why must we always crush the poorer amongst us?
You’ll come back at me with some academic answer, but the truth is that you logic is what is getting us deeper into this mess. 2007 is going to happen again soon
@ Michael – you’re a bit of a strange bird. You name-drop academic economists when it’s irrelevant, and then dismiss “academic”replies. Seems to be a low self-esteem issue going on.
I wrote above why I think low inflation is dangerous and a higher rate of inflation would be beneficial. You’re asking for an answer, but you don’t ask a question, so my original comments still stand.
Chucking insults and being snotty does not a convincing economic argument make. Maybe actually read up a little on the economists and economic movements you name drop?
Already have mortgage going up 40 euro a month from June
should legislate on a max difference between variable /tracker…at the moment people are paying up to 4or 5 points over.2 should be about fair..
what ya think.
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