A wild elephant on Saturday surprised Chinese border officials when it turned up at their border checkpoint and carefully stepped over roadblocks to enter Laos.
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https://www.nigerianewspost.com/chinese-border-guards-watch-as-elephant-crosses-through-checkpoint-into-laos/
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Showing posts with label wild elephant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wild elephant. Show all posts
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Elephant crosses China-Laos border during early morning stroll
CCTV vision has captured a wild Asian elephant in south-west China taking a two-hour border tour before dawn.
The elephant moved out of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province and went for a stroll in neighbouring Laos before returning home two hours later.Surveillance cameras at the Chahe border crossing checkpoint captured the elephant's movements.
The footage shows the elephant initially puttering towards the exit of the border checkpoint.
Upon reaching the border railing, the animal slowed down a bit and comfortably crossed the "obstacle" to Laos.
Soldiers on duty immediately dispatched two teams to look for the elephant and reminded nearby residents to keep a watchful eye.
About an hour later the elephant was again seen heading back towards the border crossing.
But this time he circumvented the railing and sneaked in by the side of it.
"It's winter now and there's not a lot of food in the forest areas. We often see wild elephants hunting for food in nearby villages," said Li Zhifu, a soldier with Chahe border-crossing checkpoint.
"This time, the elephant wandered around within our exit port but could not cause any harm because of our efforts.
"The elephant has now returned to the forest safe and sound."
Wild Asian elephants are under national protection.
China has about 300 Asian elephants, mostly living in the tropical rainforest of Yunnan Province.
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http://blurbstory.com/WTNH/958305042662076416
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Dozens of Laotian Elephants ‘Illegally Sold to Chinese Zoos,’ Says Wildlife Investigator
According to Ammann, so-called captive elephants in Laos sell for about £23,000 before being walked across the border into China by handlers or “mahouts” near the border town of Boten. Thereafter they are transported to receiving facilities, which buy them from the agents for up to £230,000 per animal. “That is a nice mark-up,” says Ammann, “and makes it exactly the kind of commercial transaction which under CITES rules is not acceptable.”
Ammann and his crew stumbled on the illicit trade between Laos and China earlier this year, while investigating the sale of 16 Asian elephants from Laos to a safari park in Dubai. None of the elephants had the necessary permits for export. The translocation was stopped by a direct order from the new Laotian prime minister at the last moment, while an Emirates Airlines Cargo 747 was already on the tarmac in Vientiane, the country’s capital.
“We then looked into the background of these elephants and met with several of the owners of the elephants, as well as the local agent who arranged this sale,” explains Ammann. Delving deeper, he and his investigative team discovered that the trade in live elephants from Laos mainly involved China, with almost 100 animals ending up in Chinese zoos and facilities.
Many mahouts told Ammann on camera that their elephants are captive-bred but have been sired by a wild bull elephant. To avoid stud costs, mahouts in Laos tie captive-bred females to trees in the forest so that they can be mated with wild bulls. Under Cites Appendix I, an elephant with a wild parent in an uncontrolled setting is not considered captive-bred and therefore may not be sold commercially.
Almost 100 Asian elephants are believed to have been sold from Laos to China over the past couple of years. Chunmei Hu, an animal welfare advocate in China, says she has already established that six zoos — all government-owned — have a confirmed 38 elephants from Laos, with 50 more likely to be Laotian. But the trade in live Asian elephants contravenes international regulations. Like African elephants, Asian elephants are considered a species threatened with extinction. All international trade is prohibited by the Convention in the Trade of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) unless it is not for commercial purposes, or unless the elephants originate from a Cites-approved facility of captive-bred animals.
To read the full article, click on the story title
Ammann and his crew stumbled on the illicit trade between Laos and China earlier this year, while investigating the sale of 16 Asian elephants from Laos to a safari park in Dubai. None of the elephants had the necessary permits for export. The translocation was stopped by a direct order from the new Laotian prime minister at the last moment, while an Emirates Airlines Cargo 747 was already on the tarmac in Vientiane, the country’s capital.
“We then looked into the background of these elephants and met with several of the owners of the elephants, as well as the local agent who arranged this sale,” explains Ammann. Delving deeper, he and his investigative team discovered that the trade in live elephants from Laos mainly involved China, with almost 100 animals ending up in Chinese zoos and facilities.
Many mahouts told Ammann on camera that their elephants are captive-bred but have been sired by a wild bull elephant. To avoid stud costs, mahouts in Laos tie captive-bred females to trees in the forest so that they can be mated with wild bulls. Under Cites Appendix I, an elephant with a wild parent in an uncontrolled setting is not considered captive-bred and therefore may not be sold commercially.
Almost 100 Asian elephants are believed to have been sold from Laos to China over the past couple of years. Chunmei Hu, an animal welfare advocate in China, says she has already established that six zoos — all government-owned — have a confirmed 38 elephants from Laos, with 50 more likely to be Laotian. But the trade in live Asian elephants contravenes international regulations. Like African elephants, Asian elephants are considered a species threatened with extinction. All international trade is prohibited by the Convention in the Trade of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) unless it is not for commercial purposes, or unless the elephants originate from a Cites-approved facility of captive-bred animals.
To read the full article, click on the story title
Friday, March 10, 2017
Elephants on Parade in Laos to Raise Awareness about the Animals
Dozens of elephants, adorned in bright colors and with garlands of flowers, paraded through a Laotian town on Saturday in a celebration of a species that has become increasingly scarce in the Southeast Asian country.
Known historically as the "Land of a Million Elephants", Laos now has only a few hundred left in the wild and not many more than that in captivity, most of which are used in logging.
Nearly 70 elephants joined the main procession at the 11th annual elephant festival in Sayaboury Province some 200 km (120 miles) northwest of the capital Vientiane.
"The festival is organized to draw the public's attention to the condition of the endangered elephant as well as promoting traditional culture and livelihoods," said Yanyong Sipaseuth, the deputy governor of the province.
Wild elephant numbers have dwindled because of the destruction of their forest habitat, although poaching for ivory has also played a part, conservationists say.
A ban on capturing elephants from the wild so they can be domesticated has put greater strain on the existing captive population, meaning elephants are often worked so hard that they fall sick and no longer reproduce.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://seasia.co/2017/03/08/elephants-on-parade-in-laos-to-raise-awareness-about-the-animals
Known historically as the "Land of a Million Elephants", Laos now has only a few hundred left in the wild and not many more than that in captivity, most of which are used in logging.
Nearly 70 elephants joined the main procession at the 11th annual elephant festival in Sayaboury Province some 200 km (120 miles) northwest of the capital Vientiane.
"The festival is organized to draw the public's attention to the condition of the endangered elephant as well as promoting traditional culture and livelihoods," said Yanyong Sipaseuth, the deputy governor of the province.
Wild elephant numbers have dwindled because of the destruction of their forest habitat, although poaching for ivory has also played a part, conservationists say.
A ban on capturing elephants from the wild so they can be domesticated has put greater strain on the existing captive population, meaning elephants are often worked so hard that they fall sick and no longer reproduce.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://seasia.co/2017/03/08/elephants-on-parade-in-laos-to-raise-awareness-about-the-animals
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Elephant festival in northern Lao province
The 11th elephant festival took place in Laos’s northwestern province of Sayabouly on February 18.
The annual event, which drew the participation of Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and hundreds of thousands of visitors at home and abroad, aims to raise public awareness of elephant conservation.
It also demonstrates the close-knit relations between Lao people and elephants.
The elephant festival was held for the first time in 2007.
This year’s event attracted over 300,000 visitors, doubling the number in 2016.
It was commenced with a majestic parade of nearly 70 elephants, followed by other activities such as playing football, running, drawing, and tug-of-war contests among the participating elephants.
The festival also featured various cultural and artistic performances staged by local ethnic groups.
Sayabouly is now home to more than 400 domestic elephants and hundreds of wild elephants.
The Lao government has put forth a number of policies in recent years to protect elephants in association with tourism development.
The government also plans to expand the elephant festival to national scale in the years to come.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://vietnamfriendship.vn/Elephant-festival-in-northern-Lao-province-1002-12534.html?page=2
The annual event, which drew the participation of Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and hundreds of thousands of visitors at home and abroad, aims to raise public awareness of elephant conservation.
It also demonstrates the close-knit relations between Lao people and elephants.
The elephant festival was held for the first time in 2007.
This year’s event attracted over 300,000 visitors, doubling the number in 2016.
It was commenced with a majestic parade of nearly 70 elephants, followed by other activities such as playing football, running, drawing, and tug-of-war contests among the participating elephants.
The festival also featured various cultural and artistic performances staged by local ethnic groups.
Sayabouly is now home to more than 400 domestic elephants and hundreds of wild elephants.
The Lao government has put forth a number of policies in recent years to protect elephants in association with tourism development.
The government also plans to expand the elephant festival to national scale in the years to come.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://vietnamfriendship.vn/Elephant-festival-in-northern-Lao-province-1002-12534.html?page=2
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