"The elephant was found lying with a burnt mouth. There was an electric cable in its mouth," Head of Culture and Tourism Office of Banjarnegara, Aziz Ahmad, said.Banjarnegara, C Java (ANTARA News) - An elephant from the Serulingmas Wildlife and Recreation Park in Banjarnegara, Central Java, was found dead on Wednesday after being allegedly electrocuted.
The ill-fated animal was discovered by an elephant tamer who works in the park.
"The elephant was found lying with a burnt mouth. There was an electric cable in its mouth," Head of Culture and Tourism Office of Banjarnegara, Aziz Ahmad, said here on Wednesday.
He noted that the electric cable was used to weld the rail of the elephant`s cage, which had been undergoing repair for several days.
The 11-year-old female elephant, named Dona, might have tried to bite the cable, which possibly led to its electrocution and death, Ahmad continued.
"We are extremely sorry for this accident, particularly because there were only two elephants here," he added.
Meanwhile, elephant tamer Suroyo (26) stated that he would deeply miss the elephant he had been raising since four years ago.
"Dona was a docile and cheerful elephant. Every time I am around, she would want to play. I still can`t believe that Dona is gone. It breaks my heart," he said.
The carcass of the pachyderm will be buried within the boundaries of the wildlife park on Wednesday evening, after being examined by the local police.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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