Laos Elephants in Crisis - Wild & Domestic

ElefantAsia working to safeguard Laos’ domestic and wild elephant populations.



Known historically as Lane Xang, or the ‘Land of a Million Elephants’, the Lao PDR had large and widely distributed populations of both wild and domesticated elephants in the past.

Today the population stands at as few as1,000 wild elephants. However, clear and accurate data on the situation is hard to obtain. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classes the Asian elephant as a species threatened with extinction. Its survival is seriously endangered by degradation of natural habitat (expansion of agriculture and logging industry) and to a lesser degree by poaching for the ivory trade or for the export of living animals. Competition for space is leading to increasing conflict between elephants and people, often leading to casualties among both.

As a living icon with important symbolic connotations, the elephant is an animal dear to the hearts of all people in the Lao PDR. Unfortunately, it is no exaggeration to say that the elephant will become extinct in the short term.



Domesticated Elephants – Contributing to Deforestation
Laos has about 560 domesticated elephants. Most of them are engaged in timber harvesting operations for by logging companies and therefore are contributing to the destruction of the elephant habitat. Elephants are also employed, to a lesser extent, in tourism. Traditionally elephants from wild populations were captured and domesticated. Since capture from the wild was been banned by the government the domesticated population has plummeted.

Moribund Population
Preliminary data collected and analysed through the ‘Lao Captive Elephant Care and Management Programme’ shows that the reproduction rate for elephants is extremely low. The population is becoming moribund, with elephants having an increasingly higher average age. With only 46 cows under the age of 20 (the country’s ‘breeding reservoir’ in 15 years’ time) the future of Laos’s domesticated elephants is under jeopardy.

Major Source of Income
However, elephants are a major source of income for about 10,000 people in Sayaboury province alone. They generate significant direct revenue for their owners and are therefore to be considered as contributing to poverty alleviation in Laos. Moreover, the fast-growing tourism industry also requires domesticated elephants. As a result, the economic value of domesticated elephants is increasing and the incentive to illegally capture elephants from the wild is high.

Regulation Required
There is therefore an urgent need to safeguard the remaining elephants (through registration and microchip fitting for domesticated elephants, controlling the trade of live elephants with foreign countries, and enforcement of the law) and create a breeding programme for them. If Laos wants to maintain a self-perpetuating population and avoid extinction of its elephants, the number of births must increase dramatically. This will ensure survival of the domestic population and reduce pressure on the wild population.

A high level of public awareness would also provide support to government decision-makers who have to balance the management of elephant populations with other natural resources. ElefantAsia will pursue our effort in this field by producing additional pedagogical material and organising outreach activities in target areas.

Convert Elephants from Logging to Tourism
It is also important that careful and sensitive support be provided to the conversion of elephants from logging to alternative money-making activities, such as quality and humane ecotourism. Elephant handling is a tradition in Laos and a good asset for the development of nature tourism in Protected Areas. This can benefit local people and mahouts and contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and habitat.

If Laos’s last elephants were to vanish, the ecological tragedy would be compounded by a huge cultural loss in the region. Throughout Asia, and in Laos especially, elephants are considered sacred. Since time immemorial they have served mankind in the forest and have been given an integral role in Buddhist and animist beliefs. If the species were to become extinct, a fundamental part of the area’s cultural heritage would be lost forever.

Source: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/laos-elephants829.html