Capturing Sakor, a cantankerous wild male elephant, was carried out with great care and compassion. Sakor was sedated lightly to keep him mobile but relaxed as he needed to be transferred into a specially built crate with sugar cane. Once inside, the crate was lifted onto a truck and transported to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center.
Upon arrival, Sakor was given the space and time to adjust to his new surroundings. Understandably, he wasn’t very impressed with the sudden change from the freedom of his forest home to a life in captivity at an estimated age of early teens. Adjusting to this new reality would take time, and he deserved all the patience and support during this transition.
Eventually, Sakor settled into his new life at Phnom Tamao. He got to know the other three resident elephants and now occasionally shares an enclosure with Chamroeun. Through observation, he quickly learned the daily training routine (health check) with the other three. He had to be trained to understand he needed to participate when given voice commands, not just run through the entire procedure from start to finish as a routine for his treats.
He enjoys getting visitors’ snacks daily and still loves sugar cane as a favorite! At times, we have to monitor his diet to ensure he is not getting too much sugar, especially when he is in musth (breeding season), as he can sometimes get surges of energy capable of breaking out of his enclosure or tearing it apart. However, thankfully, the tried and tested sugar cane method for luring him back into his enclosure, or another one, still works!
Sakor has now been with us for over ten years. We estimate he would be in his early to mid-20s now, probably a similar age to Lucky (A female elephant at Phnom Tamao), and he is the tallest and most potent of the four.
In an ideal world, Sakor would return to his forest home; as a male, he would live a solitary life once hitting breeding age and, therefore, would be self-sufficient upon release. However, with human-elephant conflict on the rise and forest habitats under threat, Sakor will remain safe at Phnom Tamao for now and in the foreseeable future.
Get ready for the next captivating story of an artist elephant – OUR ‘LUCKY GIRL.’ You won’t want to miss it!
In the meantime, we encourage you to consider supporting our efforts at the Wildlife Rescue Center. Your contribution can make a significant difference in the lives of animals like Chamroeun, helping us provide them with the care and support they need.
