Wild Welfare kicks off 2017 in Vietnam
Wild Welfare is looking forward to beginning 2017 in Vietnam, visiting two of its existing projects.
The team will be visiting Dak Lak province and helping facilitate the first ever international elephant management workshop for the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC). Through the Vietnam Elephant Initiative (VEI), alongside partners Animals Asia Foundation and Elephant Care International, the ECC benefits from resources and practical advice that support long-term improvements in care and veterinary treatment for Vietnam’s captive elephants.
Wild Welfare’s director, Georgina Allen, said: “The VEI was able to achieve good progress for Dak Lak’s elephants Jun and Gold throughout 2016, with enlarged enclosures and the provision of new enrichments.
“The workshop first is going to be an essential opportunity to find solutions to some of the potential barriers to ongoing protection for Vietnam’s elephants, and we are so pleased to be part of the conversation.”
The team will also visit Hanoi Zoo this month, where they will be continuing their work on animal enrichments. Partnering with Animals Asia and with funding support from the Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation, Wild Welfare will be creating and developing enrichments for a wide variety of animals, including bears, tigers and elephants, and conducting a training workshop with the ostrich keepers.
Wild Welfare’s communications manager, Sophie Beckwith, is a UK-registered veterinary nurse and will be joining the Vietnam team, helping with enrichment work and assisting Animals Asia staff as they carry out veterinary husbandry with macaques and other animals.
Miss Beckwith said: “I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to travel to Vietnam and help with the fantastic work already going on at Hanoi Zoo. It will be a great opportunity to see Wild Welfare in action and to use my veterinary skills to help enhance the welfare of some of the Zoo’s animals.”
We will be posting directly from Vietnam, so keep an eye on our social media channels over the coming weeks.
Image © Wild Welfare: Jun and Gold, Dak Lak, November 2016
