lefantAsia NGO is working together with the Elephant Conservation Centre to establish Laos' first elephant breeding sanctuary.

The Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) focuses on providing cows with a safe environment to give birth and wean their calves, while supplying an income for their owners through soft tourism.

The ECC also contains a specialised elephant hospital and laboratory, capable of detailed blood analysis and the provision of full-time care for two injured elephants simultaneously.

The need for coordinated elephant breeding programmes in Laos has long been recognised by Asian elephant experts. The Elephant Conservation Center differentiates itself from elephant tourist camps by being a haven for elephant reproduction, lactation, recovery and disease diagnosis. Visitors are welcome to the ECC and are expected contribute to the Center's Mission Statement by volunteering in some capacity to improve the Center's facilities, vegetation and/or infrastructure.

Most of our elephants at the ECC are from the Sayaboury region and have worked in the professional logging industry. Cows have been rescued from this weakening and dangerous work to be used as reproductive ambassadors for their species. A percentage from the Elephant Conservation Center's tourism activities will be injected into ElefantAsia's nation-wide elephant conservation projects and programmes, assisting elephants not just at the ECC but throughout the whole of Laos.

The Elephant Conservation Center is a privately run company working in partnership with French-based non-profit organisation ElefantAsia. Revenue from the Center's tourism contributes to conservation activities undertaken by ElefantAsia across Laos.

Domesticated elephants are traditionally used in logging. Overworked and exhausted they no longer breed. With only two elephants born for every ten that die, the Asian elephant, the sacred national emblem of Laos, is under serious threat of extinction. If immediate action is not taken, the Lane Xang or 'Land of a Million Elephants', stands to lose not only its elephant populations, but a major component of Lao cultural heritage.

With these threats in mind, the Elephant Conservation Center and ElefantAsia NGO have joined forces to:

1. Encourage natality by creating an elephant nursery and a “Baby Bonus” programme
2. Enhance access to veterinary care by offering the qualified services of a permanent hospital
3. Propose training sessions to mahouts in various fields (tourism, care and welfare, traditional medicine)
4. Reconvert logging elephants into fair, environmentally friendly ecotourism
5. Ensure the viability of the ECC through visits on site
6. Inform the public about the condition of Lao elephants
7. Protect a highly endangered species from regional extinction
8. Ensure a sustainable and fair income for mahouts and their families
9. Support an environmentally friendly and fair business approach
10. Protect ancestral cultures, knowledge and traditions
11. Protect a rich and fragile tropical ecosystem

How we are different?

Rather than taking elephants from their natural home into urban tourist areas, we take YOU to THEM, in their undisturbed natural environment;

Not only does the money you pay sustain the Elephant Conservation Center and its residents. But 5% is repaid to elephant conservation projects in Laos. We are the only company in Laos to fund conservation action for ALL elephants across the country;

Elephants at the Center are here to rest, either waiting to give birth or recovering from an exhausting life in logging or mass tourism industries. Do NOT expect to see package tours riding our elephants all day long!

Our elephants inhabit 106 hectares of protected forest set by the Nam Tien lake providing sufficient quantity and variety of natural fodder;

The Center's elephant welfare policy is implemented by ElefantAsia;

Our elephant hospital and nursery are staffed with a professional vet team ready to share their experiences with you;

Our facilities are ecologically friendly utilising solar power and water from the lake which we filter. We produce elephant dung paper and our brochures are produced using recycled paper. To reduce the use of new building materials, our infrastructure uses old traditional Lao houses relocated to the Center;

Overall, the Center is a place of learning.