~Mandalao Elephant Conservation and Gujarat-based Vantara have launched a new programme in Laos to strengthen elephant welfare, veterinary care and wild elephant conservation.
Luang Prabang, Laos, Sep 09 (VNI): Mandalao Elephant Conservation and Vantara, a global wildlife conservation organisation based in Gujarat, India, today announced a new programme to strengthen elephant welfare, veterinary care and conservation in Laos. The initiative has been launched under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two organisations.
According to Vantara, Laos, once known as Lan Xang, the “Land of a Million Elephants”, is now home to approximately 400 wild elephants and more than 400 elephants in captivity, with both populations continuing to decline. Wild elephants face habitat loss and fragmentation, human-elephant conflict and poaching, while many captive elephants continue to work in logging and tourism with limited access to specialised veterinary care. It is estimated that for every one to two elephants born in Laos each year, around 10 die.
As the first step of the programme, an Elephant Rapid Response Team was inaugurated at Mandalao Elephant Conservation in Luang Prabang in the presence of Lao Government representatives. Vantara has provided a fully equipped mobile elephant veterinary unit, enabling the team to respond to sick and injured elephants across Laos, including both wild and captive elephants. The collaboration will also establish a specialised elephant hospital for emergency treatment, long-term care and rehabilitation.
The launch coincided with the rescue of Mae Khamnoy, a 43-year-old female elephant who spent her entire life working in logging operations. She lost two calves during pregnancy, reportedly as a result of the hardships she endured. More recently, she was kept alone beside a busy road in Vientiane, where she was ridden by tourists and made to perform tricks. Mae Khamnoy will now move to Mandalao Elephant Conservation for retirement, where she will receive veterinary care, a natural and balanced diet and the opportunity to live alongside other elephants.
Alongside the launch, Vantara and Mandalao veterinary teams conducted a health camp for 12 resident elephants, including comprehensive health assessments, diagnostics and specialist consultations. The programme will also provide capacity-building training for elephant caregivers and veterinarians in elephant welfare, husbandry, nutrition and preventive healthcare, helping strengthen long-term veterinary and animal-care capacity in Laos.
Dr Tim Bouts, Elephant Veterinary Specialist at Mandalao Elephant Conservation, said establishing the Elephant Rapid Response Team was a major step forward for elephant welfare and veterinary care in Laos. He said the service would be offered free of charge to elephant owners and government departments responsible for elephants across the country, while expressing confidence in a long-term collaboration with Vantara.
Beyond supporting elephants in human care, the partnership will develop long-term, field-based solutions to support the recovery of Laos’ wild elephant population and safeguard its genetic diversity. The initiative will focus on population recovery, habitat stewardship, community engagement, and measures to reduce human-elephant conflict and poaching, in collaboration with Lao authorities, local communities and conservation partners.
Ajit Kulkarni, Special Director, Compliance and Due Diligence, Vantara, said the organisation was pleased to partner with Mandalao to support the elephants of Laos in Laos. He said that by combining veterinary care with investment in local expertise and conservation in the wild, the partnership aims to make a lasting contribution to the future of the country’s elephants. VNI NEWS, Vantara, Mandalao Elephant Conservation, Elephant Conservation Laos, Elephant Welfare, Elephant Veterinary Care, Laos Elephants, Laos, Elephant Conservation, Wildlife Conservation, Mae Khamnoy, VNINews, VNINews.com