Elephant Lucky Died from Uterus Infection, Autopsy Reveals

Tamao Zoo has announced the cause of death of elephant Lucky, who captured the hearts of thousands with her tricks after she was rescued as a baby.

Lucky Died on August 25 and the cause of death was announced on Sept. 1.

A Pasteur Institute of Cambodia autopsy revealed that Lucky, one of seven elephants under the care of Wildlife Alliance at the zoo, died of a pyometra infection. 

Try Sitheng, her former mahout, said on his Facebook post that Lucky had not eaten anything for days before her departure.   

Pyometra occurs in female elephants during their pre-reproductive cycle due to changes in progesterone levels and the thickness of the uterine lining. 

This creates a favorable environment for bacteria, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) or Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium), to enter the uterus through the elephant’s cervix and grow.   

“Such a condition causes pus in the uterus and severe inflammation until the bacteria enter the bloodstream,” the zoo said. 

“The two bacterial types found in Lucky’s uterus are highly resistant to antibiotics such as Amoxicillin/Clavulanate, Gentamicin, Ciprofloxacin and 10 other antibiotics.”

Despite the efforts of the team, Lucky’s condition was difficult to cure because the antibiotics could not fully reach the uterus to kill the bacteria.

“Generally, the only effective treatment is surgical removal of the uterus, but such surgery can only be performed on small animals such as dogs or cats,” the zoo said.

“The surgery, however, is very complicated, and the chances of success are low when done on elephants.” 

Lucky was 26. She was well known for her sad, yet inspiring, journey from a jungle to the zoo, following the death of her mother by a hunter. 

One of her ears was torn due to illness. From an early age, she relied on humans for survival, placing her trust in Try Sitheng, who became both caretaker and companion.

He first encountered Lucky in 1999, when the six-month-old calf was brought to the Phnom Tamao Zoo for treatment. 

His empathy for the orphaned elephant quickly grew, and by 2001, he was officially recognized as her mahout after training with foreign conservationists and joining the Wildlife Alliance.

“On the first night, I saw her hungry, so I bought a bottle of baby formula nearby. I fed the milk to her,” Sitheng recalled in a July 2 interview with Cambodianess.

“Since then, she started following me everywhere. She was fed on milk for four years. After that, I started feeding grass to her, little by little, until she got used to it and craved it because I also cut her milk intake.”

Over the years, Lucky learned tricks, games, dances, and even gestures to interact with visitors — skills taught with patience and care by Sitheng, who often referred to himself as her second parent. 

Found as an orphan, Lucky became the star and a symbol of connection between people and elephants in general and made friends with other animals in the zoo. 

Her body has been buried at the zoo for seven days, allowing people to join her funeral. 

The Zoo expressed its hope that this case would raise public awareness of the complexity of wildlife healthcare and encourage continued support for the conservation of the wildlife at the zoo.