A Bali tourist got more than she bargained for when she tried to snap a photo with a Sumatran elephant at a popular rescue park.
Beth Bogar, from New Hampshire, USA, was reportedly at the Mason Elephant Park & Lodge in Ubud last week when she got her arm chomped by the giant mammal.
Bogar, who is now back in the US, said she was following the instructions of the elephant’s trainer, who had been working with the animal for 24 years, when she got too close to its mouth.
“I couldn’t get my arm out. I could just hear cracking and I just started to panic,” she told the New Hampshire TV station WMUR.
Bogar said she was taken to the resort’s office where she was given some ice for her pain, but when her arm started to swell, she realized she needed more than that. She was rushed to a hospital over an hour away where she underwent emergency surgery to fix her broken bones.
She said the resort promised to cover half of her US$10,000 medical bill, but only coughed up US$4,800 after some back and forth. Bogar said she doesn’t blame the elephant for what happened, but warned other travelers to be careful around wild animals.
“I just feel as though he was guiding me and he let my arm get too close to his mouth and I didn’t know how close too close was,” she said.
Bogar is expected to fully recover but has been warned by her doctor that mending her arm will require a lot of time.
The Mason Elephant Park & Lodge claims to be the only dedicated and certified elephant rescue park in Bali, but has faced some criticism for its treatment of the elephants. The park offers elephant rides, shows, and interactions for tourists.
The park has yet to publish a statement regarding the incident.
