The elephant conservation center team has been involved in numerous projects in Laos for the protection of the Asian elephants since 2001. We have set up:
- The national registration system for captive elephants,
- Mobile vet clinics, first aid kits and the first elephant hospital in Laos,
- Emergency response cards,
- A protocol and training for immobilization of elephants in musth,
- An elephant care manual,
- National anti-trafficking campaigns,
- Good practice guides for tourism
- Mobile libraries for local communities.
In 2010 we opened the center to the public. We can proudly say that we provide 6,000 hectares of elephant pastures to our 34 elephants while employing 67 members of staff, 95% of them Lao.
The ECC isn’t trying to keep the elephants that they have taken in. After forming close knot social groups, the ultimate goal is to reintroduce them to a safe and protected natural forest where they can contribute to the increase of the wild population. This is currently underway. In March 2019, a first herd of 5 elephants was released in the Nam Pouy National Protected Area. Together, let’s set them FREE!