In Cambodia, the elephant is an animal intrinsically linked to the traditions. The Bunong people from the Mondolkiri province have lived side by side for generations. Even as recently as 50 years ago, almost every family owned at least one domesticated elephant, and nowadays only a few of those have been able to carry on the tradition of mahouting. About 50 domesticated elephants remain in Cambodia. Some have been placed in wildlife sanctuary, others have been sent to Siem Reap where they are used as beast of burden to transport tourists while others were parked in zoos. A hundred of them still reside in the wild where their habitat is threatened by deforestation. In addition to the risk of extinction of the Cambodian pachyderm, it is a part of the local tradition which is about to disappear. The modernization of society is for large part responsible; the elephant has lost its status of carrier, the hunting of wild elephants in the jungle has been banned, and the youth, attracted by the city lifestyle, has abandoned their ancestor’s customs. Thus, for the locals, in 10 to 15 years elephants will evaporate from the Bunong traditions. The animal will one day solely remain a distant memory engraved in the Khmer architecture.