tirto.id – A female elephant named Molly (45), owned by Bali Zoo, was found dead south of Tukad Cengcengan in Sukawati District on Tuesday morning, December 17, 2024. The approximately 2.5-ton elephant was initially swept away by a river current due to heavy rainfall in Gianyar Regency on Monday, December 16, 2024.
Bali Zoo’s public relations officer, Emma Chandra, explained that Molly was swept away while her mahout (elephant handler) was guiding her and another younger elephant, Fiorentina, back to the holding area after their regular socialization activity at 3:30 PM WITA. This activity is part of Bali Zoo’s daily care routine to maintain the animals’ mental health.
The route required the elephants to cross a river, which typically has a calm current. Fiorentina crossed safely first, but Molly lost her balance and was carried away by the current. This occurred because the river’s water level rose suddenly due to heavy rainfall.
“Molly was almost across when she paused, and suddenly a very strong current swept her away. Our mahout tried calling for assistance from the team, but the rapid surge of water made a rescue impossible,” Emma stated in Gianyar on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
Following the incident, the Bali Zoo team immediately coordinated with the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) and Gianyar Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) to conduct an intensive search along the river and its surrounding areas. The search continued until 9:30 PM WITA on Monday but was halted due to unfavourable weather conditions.
Molly was eventually found lifeless in Tukad Cengceng, about 2.8 kilometers from the initial location, on Tuesday at 6:30 AM WITA. Her body was discovered with her head facing north and her trunk trapped between rocks. The rescue effort to retrieve Molly is ongoing, as heavy equipment is required to transport her body back to Bali Zoo.
“We will bring her to Bali Zoo for burial,” Emma said.
Meanwhile, the Head of Bali’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency, Ratna Hendratmoko, announced plans to evaluate safety procedures and risk mitigation strategies for animal management activities in conservation institutions across Bali, including Bali Zoo. This evaluation aims to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
The assessment will include reviewing the positioning of mahouts while accompanying elephants and prohibiting socialization activities that involve crossing rivers during the rainy season. Hendratmoko also emphasized the importance of implementing appropriate conservation measures, given that Bali Zoo operates as a conservation area.
“This is the first time an elephant in conservation has been swept away, and it was purely due to a natural disaster,” Hendratmoko said.
Following Molly’s death, Bali Zoo now houses 14 elephants in its conservation area, consisting of 10 females and 4 males.