Angry Sambo finds life difficult on the inside

Photo by: Adam Miller
Sambo, the bull elephant that terrorised villagers in Kampong Speu last month, is apparently having difficulty adapting to his new surroundings at Phnom Tamao Zoo.

via CAAI

Tuesday, 11 January 2011 19:03 Buth Reaksmey Kongkea and Adam Miller

Sambo, the killer elephant who ran wild in Kampong Speu province before being taken to Phnom Tamao Zoo and Wildlife Rescue Centre last month, has again become highly aggressive in captivity, a display zoo staff are putting down to sexual frustration.

On December 3, Sambo, a five-decade-old bull elephant, killed his mahout and went on a rampage in Mon village, destroying rice crops and threatening villagers. He was later shot with tranquiliser darts, chained to a log in a rice field adjacent to the village and eventually transported to Phnom Tamao Zoo on Christmas Day.

However, zoo workers say Sambo has not adapted well to his new environment and has become increasingly aggressive again after meeting with a prospective female elephant mate, named Srey Pao, who outright refuses to breed with him.

“Sambo has now become stressed again and he is always angry because he has seen the female elephants and he needs sex, but he can’t do so,” said Nhem Thy, the deputy director of Phnom Tamao Zoo, in Takeo province. “He is in a rut now.”

He added that he had planned to place Sambo in cohabitation with Srey Pao this week in order for them to breed in the future, but Srey Pao was scared of Sambo due to his massive size.

“We planned to put Sambo and Srey Pao together on Monday, but we couldn’t do so because Srey Pao was afraid of Sambo. We are now wondering why Srey Pao was afraid of Sambo and we are also studying her,” Nhem Thy said.

“The elephants have senses that are the same as human senses. I think that the reason why Srey Pao was afraid of Sambo is due to her shyness, because she is an old female elephant.