WORKING TO IMPROVE THE WELFARE OF ASIAN ELEPHANTS IN THE LAO PDR
Lao Captive Elephant Care & Management Programme Non-Governmental Organisation, ElefantAsia Operating in the Lao PDR since 2001 in conjunction with the Department of Livestock and Fisheries (DLF) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), ElefantAsia initiates animal welfare programmes, healthcare awareness and promotes humane practices within both tourism and logging sectors throughout areas of Laos populated by captive elephants. In co-operation with the Lao National Animal Health Centre (NAHC), ElefantAsia implements free veterinary treatment for working elephants suffering from illness or injury via the ElefantAsia mobile veterinary clinics. Since 2006 ElefantAsia and the DLF have undertaken rigorous paper registration of the captive population in Laos. To diminish the risk of illegal capture and trade of wild and captive elephants, micro-chipping of captive populations has also been conducted by ElefantAsia and the DLF this forming a national computerised database. Currently the ElefantAsia team has successfully micro-chipped 453 elephants. ElefantAsia in co-operation with the DLF is working to implement a decree on elephant welfare. The “Management of Domesticated Elephants” decree will provide working rights to mahouts and their elephants including designated working and resting periods, holiday entitlement, provision of appropriate logging equipment, implementation of log size restrictions. In addition to this work, ElefantAsia manages the country’s first elephant hospital hosted at the Elephant Conservation Center (www.elephantconservationcenter.com) located in Sayaboury, northern Laos. The hospital comes fully equipped with laboratory for pathology and disease diagnostics plus quarantine area. Free veterinary care is available to severe cases that cannot be properly treated in the field, while sick and injured elephants from across Laos can recuperate at the Center until fully recovered.
Elephant suffers severed tail working within logging industry.
Abscesses and infected calluses are commonplace.
ElefantAsia remains the only organisation in Laos committed solely to ensuring the health, wellbeing and perpetuation of endangered elephant populations. Situation The Lao PDR has approximately 470 captive elephants. Most of them are engaged in timber harvesting operations by logging companies and endure terrible hardships. Working within the logging industry is a dangerous occupation for an elephant, made to work at a furious pace many suffer from afflictions such as abscesses and infected calluses caused by work chains, septicaemia, diarrhoea and digestive parasite as well as injuries such as broken legs, foot injuries and on occasions even death. Physical exhaustion and malnutrition are also issues of great concern. In many of the rural communities there is very little understanding of the need for prophylaxis, or the importance of hygiene, resulting in captive elephants often kept in unsanitary conditions. The lack of Effects of life threatening tetanus vaccinations for infectious disease control combined with poor sanitary conditions means working contracted through open sores. elephants are constantly at risk from contracting diseases such as tuberculosis, anthrax and other easily transmittable diseases. Often nomadic, working in remote areas of isolated forest access to veterinary medication and treatment is often impossible with many captive elephants suffering from horrific, yet preventable conditions.