Mondulkiri: A wild baby elephant was spotted by a local farmer near a cassava plantation that bordered the forest of Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, Mondulkiri province, said WCS Cambodia’s recent news release.

According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the local community reported that the baby elephant had been alone and without its herd for two weeks, as of the date of the rescue operation on Nov. 2, 2024. After receiving this information, WCS’ biodiversity monitoring team kept a close eye on the baby elephant and began to formulate a rescue plan. The baby elephant appeared thin due to the lack of nutrition from the mother’s milk. While waiting and monitoring to see if the elephant herd would return, WCS Cambodia partnered with WWF-Cambodia and Wildlife Alliance Cambodia (WA) to provide food and milk to prevent further weakening of the calf. After waiting for four days without any sign of the elephant herd, the team decided to proceed with the rescue operation. The WCS team contacted the wildlife rescue team to
facilitate the transfer of the baby elephant to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre.

The rescue operation spanned two consecutive days, Nov. 2-3, involving WCS, WWF, WA, the Forestry Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Phnom Tamao wildlife rescue team, Mondulkiri Department of Environment, Park Rangers, CPA community patrol, and local community members. Despite the challenging location of the rescue, the collaborative team succeeded in safely rescuing the baby elephant. After being extracted from the farm, the elephant was securely transported and arrived at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre on the evening of Nov. 3.

The success of this rescue operation underscores the effective collaboration and dedication of various working groups at all levels, including government institutions, conservation organizations, and local communities, in protecting Cambodia’s invaluable natural resources. ‘We will continue to work and share our input with all stakeholders for the improvement
of natural resources conservation, and to protect this vital wealth for future generations’, WCS Cambodia stated.