An elephant which was trained to carry tourists around at a religious shrine has collapsed and died after her last trip.
Elderly Sambo had been giving visitors lifts at Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat since 2001 when she started working for the Angkor Elephant Company.
But on Friday morning the animal, thought to be aged between 40 and 45, fell to the ground in near Bakheng Mountain in the archaeological park and didn't get back up.
Her death has been the catalyst for a campaign to stop the practice by animal rights activists.
Elderly Sambo had been giving visitors lifts at Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat since 2001 when she started working for the Angkor Elephant Company.
But on Friday morning the animal, thought to be aged between 40 and 45, fell to the ground in near Bakheng Mountain in the archaeological park and didn't get back up.
Her death has been the catalyst for a campaign to stop the practice by animal rights activists.
Oan Kiri, manager of the Angkor Elephant Company, said they were saddened by Sambo's death, adding:
"After our veterinarian checked. . . we concluded that she died of heart attack due to high temperatures and lack of wind."
Her collapse came after she had taken two trips from Bayon Temple to Bakheng which took about 40 minutes on temperatures of around 40C, reports Phnom Penh Post .
A Facebook post showing photos of Sambo on the ground has been shared over 8,000 times. A change.org petition calling for the end of elephant riding in Angkor went online shortly thereafter and has garnered more than 10,000 signatures...
Phnompenhpost.com
Phnompenhpost.com
