Thirteen elephants handed over to conservation centre by Laos govt

XAYABOURY, Laos (Vientiane Times/ANN) - Thirteen elephants handed over to Elephant Conservation Centre by Lao government.

In a scene straight of out an Indiana Jones movie, 13 elephants walked across the Nam Pouy National Park and arrived at their new home at the Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC) in Xayaboury province on February 19, 2018.

This impressive caravan had travelled about 150 kilometres, all the way from Thongmixay district where they had been stationed for several months following a decision by Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith to stop their illegal export to a foreign country.

The Lao government has recently taken steps to reverse illegal wildlife trafficking and environmental crimes with tightened laws on log exports and a new national law on wildlife trafficking due to come into effect.

A tangible indication of this reform came this month with this gifting of elephants to the Elephant Conservation Centre in Xayaboury province, after all options were carefully assessed by teams from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for their relocation.

The ECC, well-known globally for its socially responsible care of retired, orphaned and injured domestic elephants, has been seeking to expand its facilities to enable a semi-wild environment in keeping with international practice.

With this ‘caravan of hope’, 13 Lao elephants are now free thanks to a brave decision by central and Xayaboury provincial authorities.

Aged 5 to 47 years, elephants from this group will now enjoy a life amongst the existing 12-strong herd at the ECC and hopefully contribute to the regeneration of the declining elephant population of Laos through the ongoing breeding programme undertaken by the ECC team of biologists and veterinarians.

As they left Thongmixay district in Xayaboury province, the elephants’ mahouts (elephant handlers), the Deputy Director of the provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department Mr Khamkeuang Phanlak and staff from the ECC walked for four days across the Nam Pouy National Park, an area where an estimated population of 50-70 wild elephants still exists.

As they exited the forest, they stopped in Pakxong village where they made a donation to the local elementary school, according to a report from the centre.

Representatives of Xayaboury provincial authorities present at the handover ceremony included provincial Deputy Governors Mrs Bounphak Inthapanya and Mr Phengnilan Khamphanpheng, the provincial Environment and Natural Resources Department Director Mr Somkhit Inthavong, and local provincial and district authorities.

Representatives of the Elephant Conservation Centre, Mr Inthy Deuansavanh, Mr Sébastien Duffillot and Mr Jean-François Reumaux signed the official handover agreement.

ECC occupies 530 hectares of forest land set on the shores of the breathtaking Nam Tien Lake in Xayaboury district, only two hours from the World Heritage town of Luang Prabang.

Xayaboury is home to 75 percent of the country’s elephant population and has been dubbed ‘The Lao Elephant Homeland’ for its historical connection with the pachyderms.

With 30 elephants, a team of 53 Lao and international staff and the only elephant hospital in the country, ECC now takes care of the largest elephant herd under human care in Laos and is currently working on the conservation of the wild elephant population of Nam Pouy National Park together with Xayaboury province authorities.

 Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
 http://annx.asianews.network/content/thirteen-elephants-handed-over-conservation-centre-laos-govt-67914