Linwood Man Dies After Being Thrown By Elephant In Thailand

A British holidaymaker has been killed and his daughter

injured on an elephant trek during a family trip to

Thailand.

The Scot, named as 36-year-old Gareth Crowe, was

said to have been thrown by the animal after it turned

on its handler during an outing on Koh Samui.

The Bangkok Post said he was trampled on by the

elephant and stabbed in the torso by its tusk on

Monday afternoon.

It is understood his teenage daughter Eilidh escaped

with minor injuries and is being treated in hospital.

His partner Catherine Hughes and their son were not on

the trek, according to reports which also suggested the

elephant named Golf was upset before the incident in

the Tambon Bor Phud area and was not responding to

its handler's commands.

Mr Crowe's daughter appeared to respond to witness

claims her father had teased the animal with a banana.

Eilidh Hughes wrote on the Samui Times website: He

was not teasing the elephant as I was his 16-year-old

daughter who is lying in hospital and I was on it.''

The charity World Animal Protection said its thoughts

were with the man's loved ones but the incident was a

stark reminder'' that elephants are not meant to be ridden.

A spokeswoman said: 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.''

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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 making contact with the local

authorities to seek further information.''

• 2014