elephant bali zoo

An Elephant from Bali Zoo in Gianyar Drifted Away by the River Current

Share:

On Monday, December 16, 2024, an overflowing river in Gianyar, Bali carried away an elephant. The elephant belonging to Bali Zoo on Jalan Singapadu, Sukawati, Gianyar, was washed away at around 6 p.m.

It is known that from morning to afternoon a number of areas in Bali were showered with rain, including Gianyar. The video capturing the drifting elephant went viral on social media, although it was quite difficult to find the elephant in the middle of the swift brown river current.

Sukawati Police Chief Kompol I Ketut Suaka Purnawasa said the current swept Moly away while she was going to her cage. At that time, the 30-year-old female elephant was being guided by her handler to the holding area after completing routine socialization. However, the journey home was not smooth. Moly was swept away by the river current.

“When passing through the river, which was her usual route, Moly was suddenly thrown by the river water, which suddenly rose because of high rainfall. So Moly lost her balance and was carried away by the river current,” said Suaka Purnawasa.

@detikbali Mih, semoga Moly bisa segera ditemukan ya!😢 #GajahHanyut #BaliZoo #Moly #InfoGianyar ♬ original sound – detikbali

Knowing the incident, the entire Bali Zoo crew conducted a search. They followed the river downstream to Rangkan Beach and Purnama Beach.

“Bali Zoo has reported the elephant’s disappearance to BPBD Gianyar and Bali BKSDA,” said Suaka Purnawasa.

The Head of Emergency and Logistics Division of BPBD Gianyar Regency I Gusti Ngurah Dibya Presasta confirmed the information about the elephant belonging to Bali Zoo. However, BPBD officers could not help evacuate because the elephant is too heavy. According to him, handling must be done by professionals.

“BPBD Gianyar Regency has not been able to help with the evacuation, because the elephant has a heavy weight that requires evacuation to be done specifically by professionals. A solution needs to be found to lift it when the elephant’s position is found,” he said, as reported by Detik.

As of Monday night, the elephant’s position was still unknown. Apart from the large and brownish river current, the situation was also dark.

The search for Moly resumed on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.

Bali Zoo’s Elephant Moly Found Dead

They finally found Bali Zoo’s elephant, Moly, dead in the Cengcengan River, De Guwang.

The dead elephant has now been evacuated by Sukawati Police personnel.

“Sukawati Police personnel combined with Bhabinkamtibmas and Bhabinsa secure the evacuation process of a drifting elephant in the Subak Cengcengan River in the Sukawati sub-district area,” wrote from the @polseksukawati account.

Find this article helpful? Check out our other articles from Social Expat:

Related News

The Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has confirmed that a whale carcass found on Lovina Beach, Kalibukbuk Village, Buleleng District, North Bali, is a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). The confirmation was delivered by the Head of the Bali BKSDA, Ratna Henddratmoko, following a report from the Banyumilir Community Watch Group (Pokmaswas). She said the […]

Good news for K-pop fans, especially ARMY. BTS has officially announced their long-awaited world tour scheduled to run from 2026 to 2027. The announcement was made on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, with BTS releasing an official tour poster detailing the list of countries they will visit. The red-and-white poster confirms stops across Asia, Europe, North […]

A Czech tourist was evacuated from Kelingking Beach in Nusa Penida, Klungkung Regency, Bali, on Friday evening, January 9, 2026, after suffering an injury while at the beach. The tourist was identified as Martelo Romano, 50. He was evacuated by a joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team after sustaining an injury while descending the steep […]

Two temples in Karangasem Regency, Bali, were damaged by fires on Sunday, January 11, 2026, following lightning strikes during heavy rainfall in the area. The incidents occurred within hours of each other and affected key temple structures. The first incident took place at Pedharman Arya Gajah Para Temple, located in Banjar Dinas Batumadeg, Besakih Village, […]

Expat Events

Indonesia Visas

Indonesia Guide

Just For Fun

Write For Us

Exclusive Promotions

Event Gallery