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tourism official says an endangered Sumatran elephant has been found dead, apparently after biting through a high-voltage cable in a recreation park in central Java.

Aziz Ahmad, head of the cultural and tourism office in Banjarnegara said on Thursday that the 14-year-old female elephant was found lying in her cage on Wednesday at the Serulingmas Wildlife Recreation Park, with the power line still in her scorched mouth.

He said the electrical cables had been connected to a nearby power pole by welders repairing the cages.

The death leaves only a 22-year-old male in the park.

More human activity in the jungles means that fewer than 3,000 Sumatran elephants remain in the wild.