MandaLao: Is this Laos’ most responsible elephant retreat? By Kate Springer, CNN Updated 0141 GMT (0941 HKT) August 9, 2017
Story highlights
A common problem
• In Laos, MandaLao elephant camp hopes to provide a responsible alternative to exploitative practices. • Nearly 75% of elephants in Southeast Asia are exploited, according to a World Animal Protection report. • Laos elephant numbers are also dwindling, with only 800 left.
(CNN) - A trip to MandaLao elephant camp is a different experience to visiting a typical elephant camp in Laos or Thailand. There are no elephant rides. No circus tricks. No evening elephant dances. Instead, the humans simply observe as these huge mammals splash in the river, wrestle in the grass, and snack on the forest canopy. It’s a stark contrast to the rest of Southeast Asia, where 75% of 3,000 elephants surveyed in tourist venues between late 2014 and mid-2016 were living in unacceptable conditions, according to a World Animal Protection report. “One of the most frequent questions we get from travelers is about ‘sanctuaries’ in Asia,” Jason Baker, PETA vice president of international campaigns, tells CNN. “I often tell people that the best elephant sanctuaries are pretty boring for humans because they really just want elephants to walk around and be elephants.”
In the “Land of a Million Elephants,” as Laos is known, there are only 800 trunk-swinging creatures left -- just half of them are in the wild.
An elephant’s life • Elephants are the world’s largest landbased animals, weighing up to 5,000kg • They can live to 70 years old • Elephants are social -- some herds have more than 100 members • They spend up to 18 hours a day eating, foraging for 150kg to 300kg of roots, leaves and stems • Elephants love a good swim or dust bath, and often play in rivers • They are highly intelligent and display emotions such as grief when a family member passes • Pregnancy lasts for 20 months, followed by another five years of calf-rearing
In the 1980s, there were an estimated 4,000 elephants in Laos, meaning the population has plummeted by more than 75% in the past 30 years. Deforestation, poachers seeking ivory, the illegal export of elephants to foreign countries for circus shows, and low birth rates, due to the animals being tasked with stressful jobs such as logging and performing for tourists, have all contributed to the falling population. Recently, wildlife investigator and filmmaker Karl Ammann claimed that dozens of elephants from Laos are being illegally sold for around $300,000 to China to be displayed in zoos and safari parks. “Elephants mean so much to the people of Laos, but with the low numbers, some kids here never even see an elephant,” Michael Vogler, who in 2016 cofounded MandaLao, tells CNN. “A lot of people don’t realize how desperate and dire the situation is.”
