The five-tonne bull elephant, named Sambo, terrorised villagers in southwest Cambodia and destroyed their crops before he was subdued by wildlife workers in December and moved to the centre on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

For safety reasons, Sambo had restraints placed on his front legs and was kept away from other elephants.

Nhek Rattanak Pich, director of the rescue centre, told AFP the exact cause of death was still unclear. He added that Sambo "was a danger to people" until the very last day.

The Wildlife Alliance, an international organisation whose specialist was called in to treat Sambo over the weekend after he fell ill, said the animal had been sick in recent weeks and apparently reacted badly to sedation administered by government veterinarians to treat a small leg wound.

It said he was too weak to stand up despite efforts to get him back on his feet with the help of a crane.

Elephants that lie down for extended periods "risk severe damage to their internal organs", the group said. "Sambo was too weak to stand under his own power."

The Asian elephant is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

earlier related report
Sri Lanka plans first census of elephants
Colombo (AFP) Feb 16, 2011 - Sri Lanka is planning its first ever census of elephants as the animals increasingly come into conflict with villagers, a top official said Wednesday.

Government wildlife director Chandrawansa Pathiraja said a head count would start in August to aid better planning of conservation and minimise clashes between elephants and humans.

"We will carry out the census within a 48-hour period," Pathiraja told AFP. "We expect dry weather at this time."

He said a meeting of enumerators would be held next month to work out details of the census, and the department also hopes to rope in volunteers to help.

"We have had just over 200 elephants deaths last year," Pathiraja said. "During the same period about 50 people were killed by wild elephants and we have seen this trend in the past three years."

Elephants are killed mostly by farmers whose crops are destroyed while marauding animals also raid villages in search of food.

Sri Lanka's elephant population is believed to have dwindled to about 4,000 from an estimated 12,000 in 1900.

Most of the jungles in Sri Lanka's northern and eastern regions were inaccessible for wildlife authorities during the fighting between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.

However, with the ending of hostilities in May 2009, the wildlife department has begun managing some of the animal sanctuaries and re-launched conservation efforts.

Elephants are considered sacred animals in Sri Lanka, but they increasingly clash with villagers as habitat becomes scarce.

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