The Wildlife Alliance Cambodia has stated that Try Sitheng submitted his resignation voluntarily from his role as an animal caretaker at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center, and that he was neither dismissed nor asked to resign. The statement followed a viral social media video which purported to show a depressed elephant waving him goodbye as he drove away om his motorcycle.
In a July 2 press release, regarding Sitheng’s resignation, Wildlife Alliance stated: “Try Sitheng submitted an unsolicited letter of resignation, effective 30 June 2025. He was not dismissed and was not asked to resign.”
It stated that Sitheng was not Lucky’s sole keeper. Recently, his involvement with her was focused on filming outreach videos. Lucky’s feeding, handling and enrichment have been and will continue to be delivered by a team of keepers under regular veterinary oversight, it added.
“Wildlife Alliance regrets that Lucky was taken out of her enclosure to produce a social media video for personal publicity rather than her welfare,” it noted.
Feeding and veterinary care for every elephant, and for the many other animals at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center, continue as normal. Wildlife Alliance currently spends over $15,000 each month for animal food alone at Phnom Tamao, it added.
Wildlife Alliance stated that it remained committed to the welfare of every elephant housed at Phnom Tamao, working in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Sitheng’s resignation from caring for the elephant named Lucky — a duty he says he performed for over 30 years — has sparked public interest, especially after a video circulated on social media showing Lucky running after and blocking Sitheng’s path on the last day he left Phnom Tamao by motorbike.
Many members of the public have expressed deep sympathy for Sitheng, especially as he apparently did not want to leave. Some have called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to intervene and allow him to return to his former role.
The Forestry Administration, under the ministry, issued a statement clarifying that Sitheng was an employee of Wildlife Alliance, not a government official or contract staff member of the Forestry Administration. He was assigned to work in partnership with Phnom Tamao by the NGO and was no longer in that role as of July 2025.
“Sitheng’s resignation is an internal matter of Wildlife Alliance and has no connection to the Forestry Administration or the agriculture ministry,” said the administration.
In a recent voice message, Sitheng claimed that he had been reassigned to a less hands-off role, which prompted him to resign.
“I told him, if I don’t have the right to be with my elephant, I can’t stay. I don’t care if the salary is low — what matters is being with Lucky. But he said he didn’t know what to do because that the place is under the NGO’s management. So, he didn’t dare say anything,” he explained.
In response to public appeals for intervention, agriculture ministry Dith Tina plans to meet with Sitheng on Thursday, July 3, to try to find a solution.
“I scheduled a meeting with him this morning, but he was busy in Kampong Speu, so he asked to postpone it to tomorrow,” said the minister.