AN elephant was starved to death by its owner in Cambodia — who refused to feed him for a month as a punishment for “bad behavior.”

The 35-year-old elephant, named Beong Kok, sparked outrage when he ran away and rampaged through a village, damaging houses in Sen Monorom last month.

His furious owner caught him two days later, on March 28, and refused to feed him — believing that weakening the elephant would stop the unpredictable behavior.

But Beong Kok became increasingly frail — finally collapsing on a muddy road after losing the strength to stand on his own feet.

Wildlife workers found him Saturday but were unable to save him.

Khun Diyon, a worker from a local elephant conservation organization who tended to Beong Kok, said the elephant hadn’t injured anyone during his rampage. “Weakened by starvation, the elephant had no strength to rise and stand on its own despite making several attempts to rise up,” he said.

“The elephant died late in the evening after he fainted in the morning, following many days of fainting.”

He added that Beong Kok had been shot with tranquilizer guns after the rampage last month.

Local government workers are investigating the death after tracking down the owner.

(SD-Agencies)