A woman holidaying in Bali revealed how she got her arm stuck in an elephant’s mouth with the “terrifying” ordeal costing her $10,000 in medical bills.
Beth Bogar, from New Hampshire, was at the popular Mason Elephant Park & Lodge — the only dedicated and certified elephant rescue park in Ubud — with her husband Les last week when she got a bit too close for comfort to an elephant.
“I couldn’t get my arm out. I could just hear cracking and I just started to panic,” Beth told US TV station WMUR about the bite.
The tourist said she was posing next to the animal, taking instruction from its trainer of 24 years before things took an unexpected turn.
Uncertain about “how close too close was,” Beth said she found her arm “sucked” inside the animal’s mouth.
“When I was with my trainer, we did speak while I was riding, and he said he had been with the elephant for 24 years,” she told the TV station.
“He knew this elephant. 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.”
Beth, who was pictured in a blue bikini riding the elephant just moments before the incident, wasn’t aware of the extent of her injury until hours later.
She claimed she was taken to the resort’s office where she was given ice to help the pain.
But when her arm began to swell, she was rushed to a hospital over an hour away where she had emergency surgery, according to the station.
“The doctor was able to go in,” she said referring to the incision along her forearm.
“There are plates, there are screws and everything was put back together but it is going to be a long road.”
Beth claimed the resort promised in emails, reviewed by the network, that they would cover half of the $US10,000 medical bill — she was eventually paid $4800.
“[They] were assuring us all the while that don’t worry, we have insurance. We can handle this situation. We’ll get you taken care of,” her husband Les told the TV station.
While she doesn’t blame the elephant for what happened, she did warn fellow travelers about the risks.
“Just think twice before you add something like this to your itinerary, because in a split second, your entire trip can really be changed, and not just your trip, but you’re entire life,” she said.
News.com.au has reached out to Mason Elephant Park & Lodge for comment.
According to the site, the Mason Elephant Park was created in response to the devastating situation in Sumatra where rampant deforestation and poaching have dwindled the native elephant population.
The park and lodge are home to 30 critically-endangered Sumatran elephants.
In 2019, it won the ‘Best Luxury Lodge’ in Asia and ‘Best Luxury Eco Safari Lodge’ in the world at the World Luxury Hotel Awards.
