Tourist trying to wash elephant's trunk gets launched through the air

Feb. 13 (UPI) -- A tourist attempting to help an elephant bathe in Thailand ended up "elephlying" when the pachyderm launched her into the air.

Whitney Lavaux, a U.S. woman visiting the Patara Elephant Farm in Thailand, posted a video to YouTube showing what happened when she attempted to help wash an elephant in a shallow river.

The video shows Lavaux lean over one of the elephant's tusks to wash its trunk, an action the animal apparently did not enjoy.

The elephant bucks its head upward, causing Lavaux to go flying backward through the air and land in the water.

Lavaux was able to get back up, dazed but uninjured.

She later posted a photo to Instagram from the same day, showing her giving a kiss to another elephant's trunk.

"At least this elephant liked me," she wrote.