MONDULKIRI: Cambodia lost one of its most beloved icons today when 63-year-old Sambo, commonly known as the "Wat Phnom Elephant,” died of dental disease at the Elephant Valley Project in Mondulkiri.

People who have resided in Phnom Penh for decades may remember catching glimpses of Sambo as she traveled the streets of the capital city during the 1970’s through the 1990’s and was a fixture at the Wat Phnom where tourists fed her fruit and let their children take her for a ride. She was originally caught in the Aural Mountains before the Khmer Rouge Era and was the sole survivor of the five elephants her owner caught and trained. After the war, she was brought to Phnom Penh and became a fixture of the city as she traveled to and from the pagoda through city streets.

She was retired in 2014 to the Elephant Valley Project (EVP) in 2014, where she spent the last nine years of her life amid the forested foothills of the Annamite Mountains in Mondulkiri, along with her mahout (keeper) of 20 years, Sophal. According to the EVP, Sambo died on October 19 after a long-term dental infection had her in deteriorating health for the last month.

“We are all heartbroken and a little in shock. We will miss her terribly, especially her dedicated mahout Sophal who has been with her for 20+ years," said the EVP.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the average life expectancy of an Asian elephant is about 60 years in the wild, as it needs about 150 kilograms of food per day. Director of the Forestry Administration, Keo Omaliss, told EAC News that he was "deeply saddened" by the loss of Sambo, a symbol of Wat Phnom for decades.

According to Keo Omaliss, there are currently 75 domesticated elephants and about 400 to 600 wild elephants living in Cambodia.