Angry elephant launches tourist in the air

THIS is the moment a tourist is sent flying through the air when the elephant she was trying to clean didn’t take to kindly to her.

THIS is the painful moment a woman was launched into the air by a seemingly gentle elephant.

The tourist learnt the hard way that elephants are not to be messed with after she was unceremoniously flung into the air by one reported The Sun.

Footage of the incident depicts the moment the woman started washing the elephant with a sponge while in a river in Thailand.

The peaceful elephant is calmly playing with the water with its trunk one moment, before it decides it doesn’t like being washed.

He reacts by throwing her into the air with his trunk, only just missing impaling her with his tusks.

She then flies through the air, landing heavily on the ground.

Luckily, she manages to make a quick recovery and can be seen getting back to her feet, seemingly unharmed.