Rescued elephant dies at conservation center

Rok, a 34-year-old male, had been raised by a family in the Central Highlands. When the center in Dak Lak Province’s Buon Don District acquired it for VND500 million ($21,208), it had severe injuries in its legs and internal organs caused by other elephants.

Despite the best efforts of the center and experts from Animals Asia Foundation, the elephant succumbed to its wounds.

"It is a sad and regrettable event," Tran Xuan Phuoc, the director of the center, said.

Dak Lak has spent billions of dong to rescue six elephants, nurse them back to health and release them back in the wild.

The center said Dak Lak currently has around 80 wild elephants in the Yok Don national park and 37 domesticated ones.

The number is down 90% from their population in 1980, it added.