Elephant collapses and dies after 40-minute tourist ride at Cambodia's Angkor Wat

Elephant collapses and dies after 40-minute tourist ride at Cambodia's Angkor Wat

The Mirror | 25 April 2016

The poor animal had been working in temperatures of 40C in Cambodia when she fell and couldn't get back up

Sambo was snapped after she fell to the ground in 40C heat after a 40-minute ride for tourists

An elephant which was trained to carry tourists around at a religious shrine has collapsed and died after her last trip. 

Elderly Sambo had been giving visitors lifts at Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat since 2001 when she started working for the Angkor Elephant Company.

But on Friday morning the animal, thought to be aged between 40 and 45, fell to the ground in near Bakheng Mountain in the archaeological park and didn't get back up.

Her death has been the catalyst for a campaign to stop the practice by animal rights activists.

 

Oan Kiri, manager of the Angkor Elephant Company, said they were saddened by Sambo's death, adding: "After our veterinarian checked. . . we concluded that she died of heart attack due to high temperatures and lack of wind."

The large elephant was thought to be between 40 and 45 years old

Her collapse came after she had taken two trips from Bayon Temple to Bakheng which took about 40 minutes on temperatures of around 40C, reports Phnom Penh Post . 

Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world, is Cambodia's prime attraction for visitors.

After images of Sambo's body were shared online, with Facebook posts being shared up to 8,000 times, a petition has been launched on change.org saying it's time to end elephant riding at the Angkor archaeological park in Siem Reap, Cambodia. 

The petition explains that Sambo's death "should be the final wake-up call for the community and tourism industry to take the steps needed to end this horrific practice".

Elephant rides are common at the Bayon, Angkor Wat for Cambodian and foreign tourists

It urges APSARA (Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap) to take heed.

"There is no such thing as cruelty-free elephant rides," it goes on.

"Tourists may think that riding an elephant on holiday does not cause harm - you often can't see the cruelty - it's hidden from view. What you don’t realise is that a ‘once in a lifetime’ or 'bucket list' item for you, means a lifetime of misery for wild animals."

Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world, is Cambodia's prime attraction for visitors

So far it has more than 13,000 signatories.

The Apsara Authority has not commented on the petition, but the Elephant Valley Project in nearby Mondulkiri says that the Angkor Elephant Company still boasts 13 animals , which is the highest in the country, and has urged them to stop the practice. 

In 2012, Elephant Valley Project said there were 54 domestic elephants left in Mondulkiri, with 14 of those elephants working.