An elephant named Sambo stomped its 54-year-old owner to death and fled into the jungle in Kampong Speu province’s Mon village, prompting the owner’s family to intervene with authorties to catch the angry beast and remove it to a zoo.

Se Phoeun was killed on Friday when his elephant went on a rampage, trampling him to death and destroying neighbours’ crops.

Yim Neoun, the owner’s wife, said she didn’t know why the elephant attacked her husband, adding that it had killed three other villagers over the last three years.

Mon village chief Eth Mao said the elephant has frightened everyone in the village.

“The elephant is mean and wild. No one dares to chase it because everyone is afraid to be killed,” said Eth Mao, chief of Mon village.

Villagers have called on local authorities to deal with the elephant.

However, the authorities say they are still awaiting instructions on whether to leave the elephant – now hiding in a bamboo forest near Mon village – in the wild or capture it for safe-keeping in a zoo.