By Lauren Crothers
PHNOM PENH
The Cambodian capital’s most famous elephant was blessed in a Buddhist ceremony Tuesday ahead of her transfer across the country to a sanctuary in the northeastern province of Mondulkiri.
Sambo, 54, was a fixture on Phnom Penh’s streets for 30 years before her retirement two years ago. Since then, she has seen out her days either tied to a post under a green tarpaulin - where she munches on sugarcane and bananas - or blissed out in a mammoth bath tank within the same courtyard, under the watchful eye of her owner, Sin Sorn.
A few weeks ago - several months after funding for Sambo’s care was pulled by a Hong Kong-based organization - Sorn decided Sambo would be better off at the Elephant Valley Project.
Having grappled with the cost of expensive surgery, he told media that he feels he has reached an age where he cannot take care of her as well as he once could.
Elephant Valley is currently home to nine female elephants. Sorn told media that it was time to pay back the debt he felt he owed to the elephant, who has been in his life for 40 years and helped pay for his children’s education.
“Sambo will live in the forest with other elephants but with access to veterinary care,” he said, adding that “she needs to retire and relax for the rest of her life.”
At the ceremony, Buddhist monks sang prayers and Sambo was decked in a jasmine garland before being given bananas to eat by attendees.
Sean Callahan, the deputy mission director of USAID - funding Sambo’s transfer to the jungle sanctuary - said in a statement: “Her presence there with other elephants will continue to remind Cambodians of her incredible story as well as the country’s bountiful natural resources.”
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