The tusks of a male elephant in the Yok Don National Park in Buon Don District, Dak Lak Province were sawed off by poachers, according to Mr. Huynh Trung Luan, Director of the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center.
On July 14, a male elephant named Thong Bank, 20 years old, was chained in the forest of Yok Don National Park by a mahout named Y Vi Xien, a resident of Don Village.
While the elephant was moving to seek food, someone trapped the elephant between two trees and used a chain to hold the animal. They then sawed the right tusk of the elephant.
Because of pain, the elephant struggled violently during the sawing process. The thieves ran away. When the elephant was found, one of its tusks was almost cut off. The locals promptly reported the incident to the local authorities.
"After the incident, experts of the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center and the Yok Don National Park had to remove the tusk to ensure the animal’s health," said Luan.
The case is under investigation.
Source: vietnamnet.vn