The Plight of the Asian Elephants

Elephants and man have lived and worked alongside each other for centuries but this relationship is now in a state of flux. In particular, the Asian Elephant is now considered to be an endangered species. The impact is visible in Laos, once known as the 'Land of a Million Elephants', is now home to little over a thousand Elephants. According to the organization Elephant Family 'in another 30 years they could just vanish all together'.

How and why did this happen? There are a number of reasons:-

Loss of habitat is one reason. As civilization and industries expand, the Elephants natural jungle and forest homes have been shrinking at a rapid rate. In the fight for the land there have been injuries on both sides. The end result is that the Elephant herds, in some areas, have their pathway to food and water sources cut off. In some cases Elephants can be cut off from their herds. Neither result is a positive one for the Elephants.

Lack of breeding is another. As Elephants are worked to near exhaustion there is little time or inclination for them to breed and this is obviously directly impacting the number of Elephants. In addition the gestation and rearing of the baby calf can take between four to five years, having a 'worker' out of action for this length of time is not affordable to most farmers. With little breeding the number of Elephants will continue to dwindle and extinction would seem to be a likely outcome if not addressed.

We know the problem but what is being done to address this issue?

In Laos, an organization called the 'Elephant Conservation Center' has been established to address the breeding issue. At the Elephant Conservation Center pregnant Elephants return home to an idyllic jungle setting where they can be cared for. The gestation period for an Elephant is 22 months, so to encourage the farmers to rest their Elephants, the farmer is lent a hand tractor to do the work of the Elephant.

Following the birth the mother cares for the calf for up to three years. Both mother and calf are able to stay at the Conservation Center for another two years to assist to maintain the good health of both the mother and calf. The Elephants handler, or mahout, lives at the Elephant Conservation Center with the Elephants and are paid a salary for up to four years.

The Center is not only offering a breeding program for the Lao Elephant but it is also encouraging the farmers to rest their elephants, which also helps with breeding. This is a great step forward in resolving the plight of the Asian Elephant.

I love Elephants, do you?

For the past few year Gai has traveled the world photographing and writing about her experience. There has been a lot of fun along the way and a few mishaps also, but it is always fun. Read more about Laos where Gai visited the Elephant Conservation Center in 201109, there photo gallery is also that you may enjoy here.