Critically endangered Sumatran elephant dies after being swept away by currents
A Sumatran elephant, a critically endangered species, was found dead in a zoo in Bali, Indonesia after it was swept away by currents.
The Independent reported that Molly, 45, was one of two Sumatran elephants being guided by their caretaker (or mahout) to a holding area outside the zoo grounds through a river on Dec. 16, Monday. It was part of the animals' daily routine of mental and physical stimulation.
The first elephant had made it across.
Molly was in the river when the current suddenly increased due to heavy rain upstream, Bali Zoo said in a statement.
“In this situation, Molly lost her balance and was swept away by the current,” it said.
The mahout wasn't injured.
The elephant was found dead along the Cengceng River in Sukawati subdistrict on Dec. 17.
“The entire team at Bali Zoo is deeply saddened by the loss of Molly, a female elephant who has been an important part of our extended family," it said. "Molly was known to be a kind and friendly elephant."
Emma Chandra, the zoo's head of public relations, said that while it was an "unavoidable event," it's "conducting a thorough evaluation" of its operational procedures and risk mitigation measures, especially during the rainy season "to ensure the safety of all our animals in the future."
The Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency is also doing an investigation.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, is a tropical country.
Its rainy season, which starts at around October to March, frequently causes flooding and landslides.
There are less than 700 Sumatran elephants on Sumatra island.
A subspecies of the Asian elephant, one of two species of the largest mammal in the world, the Sumatran elephant is protected under Indonesian laws.
