Bali Zoo Elephant Found Dead in River
GIANYAR – A Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) from the Bali Zoo was found dead, trapped at the bottom of the Cengceng River in Gianyar after being swept away by the strong currents of the Wos River.
“We, along with the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) and the local community, finally located our elephant after nearly 15 hours of searching,” said Bali Zoo Public Relations Officer Emma Kristiana Chandra in Singapadu Village, Gianyar, Bali, on Tuesday.
Emma recounted the tragic incident, which occurred on Monday (December 16) around 3:30 PM local time. The elephant, a 45-year-old female named Molly, was enjoying a session of play, environmental exploration, and mental and physical stimulation.
After playing in the water with another elephant named Tina, under the supervision of two handlers, Molly began to cross the river to return to her enclosure.
“Tina had successfully crossed the river first, followed by Molly, with a handler behind her. Molly was nearly at the edge when she suddenly stopped and was hit by a strong current. Our handler tried to intervene but couldn’t reach her,” Emma explained.
At the time, heavy rain had been pouring across most areas of Bali since morning, contributing to the river’s strong flow.
The 2.5-ton female elephant’s body was discovered on Tuesday morning at approximately 6:30 AM, around 2.8 kilometers from the initial point of incident. She was found on the riverbank within the conservation area.
Currently, Molly’s body remains at the rocky riverbed in Guwang Village, Sukawati District. The water level in the river has subsided, and her body is covered with a blue tarpaulin.
The conservation team has tied Molly’s body with chains secured to trees along the riverbank to prevent it from being swept away again.
The depth from the riverbed to the surface of the land is estimated to be between 5 to 10 meters.
Meanwhile, the Head of Bali BKSDA, Ratna Hendratmoko, stated that this incident is the first of its kind to occur in a conservation institution in Indonesia.
“In the wild, it is usually elephant calves that are reported to be swept away by currents. An incident like Molly’s is the first to happen in a conservation facility,” she said.
Currently, Bali Zoo houses 14 elephants, comprising four males and ten females. Molly had been part of the zoo’s collection since 2013, when she was transferred from BKSDA Central Java. (ANT)
