“Molly was a gentle and friendly elephant – It was an inevitable event,” the zoo announced.
Molly, a 45-year-old rare Sumatran female elephant living in a zoo in Bali, Indonesia, was found dead on Tuesday after being swept away by a strong current while trying to cross a river.
Molly and another elephant attempted to cross the river with their handler to be taken to a holding area outside the zoo as part of their daily routine of mental and physical stimulation.
The first elephant had crossed the river and Sago was in the river when it suddenly swelled due to heavy rain. A strong current hit Molly, who lost her balance, fell into the water and was swept several meters away, drowning.
“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. Molly was known to be a gentle and friendly elephant,” the zoo announced.
“It was an unavoidable event, but we are committed to conducting a thorough review of our operational procedures and risk mitigation measures, especially during the rainy season, to ensure the safety of all our animals going forward,” said Emma Chandra, the head of public relations for the park.
See photos from the big operation to retrieve Molly:
Sumatran elephants are a critically endangered species and less than 700 remain on the island of Sumatra.
This subspecies of the Asian elephant, one of the world’s two largest mammal species, is protected by an Indonesian law to conserve biological natural resources and their ecosystems.
Source: Skai
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