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Wild Welfare discusses future of Vietnam's elephants

13
Jan

Wild Welfare discusses future of Vietnam’s elephants

Zoo animal welfare charity, Wild Welfare, has taken part in the first ever international elephant management workshop in Vietnam, to discuss the future for Vietnam’s elephants.

Wild Welfare took part in a three-day workshop in Dak Lak province, held for the government-supported Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC), the organisation tasked with the challenge of overseeing the management of Vietnam’s captive elephant population and protection of existing wild populations.

Through the Vietnam Elephant Initiative (VEI), alongside partners Animals Asia Foundation and Elephant Care International, Wild Welfare supports the Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC), offering 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 situation in Vietnam needs urgent action. Wild elephant populations have declined at an alarming rate and individual captive elephants, used in the tourism industry can routinely suffer from lack of appropriate care.”

The ECC, elephant owners, mahouts, government officials, animal welfare NGOs and international elephant experts, met this week in the central highlands province of Dak Lak, to discuss how ECC pushes for improved welfare for its current captive population and how it develops its existing facility- which already houses two rescued elephants, Jun and Gold.

Vietnam’s captive elephant population mainly comprises individual elephants within family homes in Dak Lak and the neighbouring provinces, that are used for tourist riding activities. These elephants can spend much of their lives on their own, with little or no opportunity to interact with others of their species and carry heavy howdahs to take tourists on rides, practices that do not constitute good welfare for highly social animals with complex needs.

“The ECC offers Vietnam a unique opportunity to set an example across Asia, demonstrating how captive elephants can be offered the best in welfare and still generate an income for the local population,” Mrs Allen added.

“This week we have heard from other NGOs and eco-tourism projects working with elephants across Asia, learning that by providing a more natural captive setting, where individuals can form small herds and socialise, you can offer alternative tourist activities to elephant riding.”

The ECC and elephant owners have expressed a real desire to change their current practices and the workshop has allowed everyone involved to see the positive opportunities to improve welfare for the country’s elephants. Vietnam currently has a wild elephant population of around 100 individuals and an even smaller captive population.

~ENDS~

Notes to Editors

For more information or interview requests please contact Wild Welfare on communications@wildwelfare.org. Wild Welfare is a global organisation committed to improving animal welfare standards in captive wild animal facilities. Its mission is to partner with zoo associations, accredited zoos and aquariums, zoo professionals and leading international animal welfare organizations in identifying and improving the conditions of captive wild animals kept under circumstances of severe distress.

Wild Welfare was established in 2012 and has rapidly established itself as an internationally recognised hub in zoo animal welfare reform, forming effective collaborative relationships with a number of animal welfare NGOs, reputable universities and professional bodies.

Wild Welfare’s vision is to end the suffering of captive wild animals around the world and ensure that full and sustainable protection is given to all animals in human care.