Elephant Deaths Spark Security Boost

Somsack Pongkhao, Vientiane Times
March 27, 2009

Local authorities will beef up village security forces to protect wild elephants from poaching in Phou Khaokhouay, or ‘Buffalo Horn Mountain’,National Protected Area after five elephants were shot dead a few weeks ago. Villagers said two of the five elephants died in Ban Na in Thaphabath district of Borikhamxay province.The remainder, including a juvenile, were found inBan Yangkheua in the same district. Ban Na, located 82km south of Vientiane, relies heavily on tourism income derived from its pachyderms. The town boasts an elephant observation tower which has proven popular with visitors wanting to see elephants in their natural environment.

While the motivation for the killing has yet to be proven,officials suspect commercial motives. Poachers usually kill elephants for their valuable
body parts, namely tusks,trunks, teeth and tails. Deputy Head of Phou Khaokhuay National Protected Area, Mr That Keothone, said authorities were still analysing the bullets for clues.

“We are encouraging people in the 10 villages living nearby the protected area to be our ‘eyes and ears’, as well as to report strange sightings or incidents to authorities immediately,” he said. Yesterday, district authorities met with residents of the 10 villages to discuss preventive measures as well
as how to boost villagers’ participation in the rotection of elephants from
poaching.

Head of tour guides at Ban Na, Mr Bounthanom Inthilath, said Thaphabath district’s Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism Office had issued a notice barring villagers from interfering with the elephant remains.


“Those who interfere with the dead elephants will be considered to have been associated with the crime,” he said. “At the meeting we agreed to add extra village security force patrols to protect the conservation area. The reason is because village security men know a lot about the protected
area.”


People in Ban Na say the elephants are their most important source of income, and losing them would mean hardship for many. Mr Bounthanom said the villagers had been earning income from tourists coming to watch wild elephants since the opening of the elephant observation tower in April,
2005.


Villagers benefited from domestic and overseas visitors who spent money on homestay accommodation, tower entry fees, village tour guides, food and the purchase of handmade products and souvenirs from the village.

Mr Bounthanom said last year the village earned about 100 million kip from
tourists coming to see the elephants. “More tourists now want to see the elephants, but my concern is that if elephants are scared of poachers, they won’t come to the tower and finally no tourists will come here. All of us will be affected,” he said.

It was unclear how many wild elephants there are in Phou Khaokhouay, but Mr Bounthanom said about 40 elephants were reported in 2005.

Meanwhile, officials said one elephant was also reported killed in Phou Phanang National Protected Area. They called for urgent attention
from the relevant sectors to address the issue.

Baby Elephant died a sudden death in Luang Prabang

Som Neuk, the nearly 4 year old rescued Baby Elephant which was living in Luang Prabang “Elephant XL Camp” died a very sudden death on Saturday, 15 March. The Elephant died “probably due to incorrect medication” given about 10 days ago, the examining veterinary
surgeon Mr. Krisda Luangka (formerly of Thai Elephant Conservation Center – Chiang Mai) said today in an interview. According to his preliminary autopsy information the young Elephant died from internal bleeding and intoxication. The liver was destroyed and a natural cause of death seems very unlikely. The veterinarian and the camp management are waiting for final test results from the laboratory in Thailand.
The young and vital elephant was freed from an uncertain future last year and brought into the sanctuary to be raised with other elephants in a natural setting. The “Elephant Park Project” members and owner wished to give this baby elephant a brighter future without being taken for hard and brutal logging work in the forests of Laos!
Ten days before his death the young elephant was examined by a delegation from the non-profit
organisation ElefantAsia and a French veterinarian. According to their information the elephant
was sick and medication was given. Immediately after the death on 15. March, the same
veterinarian was called and visited the dead animal. The police and tourism authority officials
present during the visit can attest that the veterinarian from ElefantAsia only performed a visual
examination of Som Neuk, not enough for a professional diagnosis. Nevertheless, ElefantAsia
asserted the elephant died of “weakness and diarrhoea”. The findings of Mr. Krisda Luangka
from Thailand show that this is unlikely.
As elephants in Laos slowly vanish it is vital to keep the younger offspring healthy and provide
professional care. As younger elephants are getting more difficult to breed and raise to
adulthood this loss is tragic. Providing medical care is one of the main objectives of the
“Elephant park project” and “Elephant XL Camp” in Luang Prabang. This small but needless
accident shows us that constant and professional health care for elephants in Laos still needs
improvement, further supervision, and perhaps further international support.
All persons and organisations involved regret the death of the young Som Neuk!

Another elephant killed in Borikhamxay

Ekaphone Phouthonesy, Vientiane Times

June 2007

The protection of endangered wild elephants in Borikhamxay province will eventually become impossible if illegal hunters of the giant animals are not arrested, provincial officials have warned.

According to a report from the Borikhamxay Agriculture and Forestry Department, another elephant was killed in April in the Namkading National Protected Area, bringing the number of elephant killings in the province since 2006 to three.

There are now thought to be just five elephants remaining in this protected area.

A police officer working in the economics unit in Bolikhan district, Mr Sysouphan Lorvanxay, who is involved in the investigation of the latest elephant killing, said the hunters had taken the elephant's tusks, toenails and various organs that are valuable because they are used in some traditional medicines.

He said the investigation team had talked to villagers who said they heard a series of gunshots coming from the area before they arrived on the scene to find the dead elephant. The hunters had apparently used firearms to shoot the animal in the head.

Mr Sysouphan confirmed that the previous two cases involved elephants killed using the same technique, and they were continuing to investigate, as these killings were illegal under the country's forestry laws.

The Deputy Director of the Namkading National Protected Area, Mr Manisengphet Phakhounthong, told Vientiane Times this week that, until now, police had been unable to find the people responsible for illegal wildlife hunting.

“It is going to become ever more difficult to protect these wild animals if we cannot arrest the perpetrators of these acts,” Mr Manisengphet said. “To stop the illegal hunting of wild elephants, the search for those who are responsible must become more urgent.”

He said forestry officials were concerned about the continued hunting of endangered wildlife in protected areas, which would have a negative impact both on the animal population and on the forest itself.

“Wildlife is crucial for the survival of the forest, as they help to balance the eco-system,” he said.

He said that elephants were on the list of protected wild animals along with tigers, and forestry officials were determined to find the hunters and punish them.

He said forestry officials were cooperating with various international NGOs to launch a campaign in nearby villages, to help locals understand the importance of wildlife. If people are more aware of how many wild animals are endangered and what impact this is having on the forests, this might encourage them to play more of a role in protecting the animals.

But this is a slow process, Mr Manisengphet said, because in the past villagers have had problems with elephants damaging their crops and are generally not concerned if they are killed.

He confirmed that forestry officials were increasing their patrols and inspection measures in the protected areas to reduce the opportunity for wildlife hunters to kill endangered animals.

But, he said, this would not solve the problem completely, as it was not limited to the protected areas. For instance, one of the main problems was that people were continuing to consume wildlife in various forms, giving illegal hunters more of a reason to continue killing endangered species.

Discouraging locals from buying or eating wildlife was part of the awareness-raising campaign in nearby areas, Mr Manisengphet said.