Endangered Asian elephant dies in Cambodian jungle after trapped in hole

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- An endangered young male elephant, age about one year old, was found dead trapped in a hole inside the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary (KSWS) in northeast Cambodia's Mondulkiri province, a conservationist group said Tuesday.

Listed as globally endangered, Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are some of the largest mammals on the planet, but have a declining global population, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said in a statement, adding that it is estimated that there are about 250-500 wild elephants in Cambodia, while fewer than 115 individuals are in KSWS.

"We really regret that we could not save this young elephant, but the location is deep inside the forest and we did not receive information in time," said Tan Setha, WCS's technical advisor to KSWS.

"As field observation, this elephant might had been stuck for some time, and probably died on the night of Jan. 7," he said.

KSWS is one of the most important sites for Asian elephants in Cambodia, he said, adding that wild elephants in the country are facing high risk due to habitat loss and snaring.

"To protect this species, we need to safeguard their natural habitat with the participation of all stakeholders, especially local authorities and communities to report information to the relevant authorities and conservation organizations whenever they encounter the elephants are in bad condition," he said. Enditem