The female elephant is found dead in a forest in Dak Lak Province on July 17.
The Centre for Elephant Conservation, Animal Rescue and Forest Protection Management of Dak Lak confirmed on Friday the death of a female elephant in a forested area.
The elephant, named Bak Kham, was 51 years old and belonged to the family of Y Thanh Uong, a resident of Lien Son Commune in Dak Lak Province.
According to Y Thanh Uong, on the afternoon of July 15, he tied Bak Kham to a hillside near Yuk La 3 Hamlet in Dak Lieng Commune so the elephant could graze overnight. On the morning of July 17, he found the elephant dead and immediately notified authorities.
Initial investigations suggest that a male elephant may have mounted her for mating, causing Bak Kham to lose her footing, fall and suffer fatal injuries from a tree stump piercing her abdomen.
Y Thanh Uong shows a photo of Bak Kham and a male elephant.
“My family and the authorities spent hours retrieving Bak Kham’s body from the forest for burial according to local customs,” Y Thanh Uong said. “Bak Kham was like a family member. Her loss is deeply painful for us.”
An on-site inspection by forest rangers found no signs of human involvement. The death was ruled an accident based on tracks and the physical evidence.
According to the province’s elephant conservation centre, Dak Lak currently has 33 domesticated elephants. The province has received USD 2 million from Animals Asia to support elephant conservation efforts, including transitioning from elephant-riding tourism to ethical, observation-based tourism.
Despite extensive conservation initiatives, Dak Lak has not recorded a single successful birth among domesticated elephants in over 30 years.
