Sister of woman killed by elephant in brutal attack slams government for risking lives

The older sister of a woman gored to death by an elephant has demanded that ministers enact a law banning tourism adverts to dangerous attractions abroad. Helen Costigan, 49, wants the Government to halt the UK promotion of holiday venues where animals are forced to perform tricks and give rides.

The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act was passed in 2023 but it has not yet come into force.

Ms Costigan, who was injured in the 2000 attack when she was 23 alongside her father Geoff, said: “There's different ways that we could go around about this but until that happens people are going to continue to get hurt, killed and families broken in two.

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"My family never recovered from that. We'd lost my mum a few years previously. My dad was never the same person. I lost my chance to reproduce. I wasn't able to have children biologically because of the dangers that I went through, because I wasn't educated on the abuse that the elephants were facing and the dangers I was putting myself in.

“If people don't realise the dangers and they don't realise the abuse that the animals are going through, they'll continue to go to these places because they're not being told any different. There needs to be some kind of advertising campaign or education of the general population of what you're putting yourselves into and whether that could be done through insurance companies.

“Why can't the insurance companies say well if you decide to go to an animal entertainment activity abroad you will not be covered unless it meets these certain criteria.”

Hundreds of companies have been identified by campaign group Save the Asian Elephant as advertising “unethical” elephant venues to the UK market.

Meanwhile nearly 1,000 people have been injured - and hundreds more killed - by Asian elephants in tourism.

In 2000, Helen’s sister, student nurse Andrea Taylor, 20, died at a park in Thailand when a bull elephant called Silver charged at tourists during an obedience display.

Duncan McNair, CEO at Save the Asian Elephants, said: “Many of the world’s iconic species are nearing extinction caused by man’s brutality, not least in tourism, so much generated in the UK market.

“This Act throws a lifeline to those suffering creatures before it’s too late by banning advertising of activities abroad involving cruel practices that would be unlawful if happening in England and N Ireland. These measures command enormous public and Parliamentary support. Government has all the information it needs to implement the law it so supported when in Opposition.

“We hope it will not succumb to lobbying by the travel companies who continue to profiteer from the dreadful abuse to animals, and grave dangers to tourists.”

Meanwhile a poll this month by Whale and Dolphin Conservation found half of people would stop going to see the marine animals in captivity if they knew they were suffering or were aware of poor animal welfare.

Of the more than 1,000 respondents who had seen whales or dolphins in captivity, 44% said it was because of a holiday experience.

Danny Groves, head of communications at Whale and Dolphin Conservation, said: Whales and dolphins are totally unsuited to being held captive in tiny tanks for their entire lives.

“They roam hundreds of miles each week in the wild where they live far longer lives. Orcas have only ever attacked humans whilst held in these facilities which shows the stresses they feel. The behaviours we have been seeing in videos from marine parks in Japan are deeply worrying not just for the orcas but also for the trainers.

“Those holiday companies that still continue to sell tickets to these so-called ‘entertainment’ shows are simply perpetuating this cruelty.”

A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “This government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. That is exactly what we will do. We are considering the most effective ways to take forward the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act, and we will set out next steps in due course.”