Domestic elephant to be taken to Yôk Đôn National Park

January 12, 2023 - 08:37
This is the eighth domestic elephant collected by the Centre for Elephant Conservation, Animal Rescue and Forest Protection, part of the cooperation programme between Đắk Lắk Province authorities and the AAF.
Yok Đôn National Park is the new habitat for the elephant. — Photo truyenhinhdulich.vn

ĐẮK LẮK — A man in Lắk District, the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) province of Đắk Lắk will hand over his family-owned elephant to the provincial Centre for Elephant Conservation, Animal Rescue and Forest Protection Management, following the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF)-supported programme.

Director of the centre Trần Xuân Phước said that the elephant, named Y Khun, will be taken to Yok Đôn National Park after Tết ( Lunar New Year). The 40-year-old male elephant was raised by Đặng Vân Long's family and used to give rides to tourists.

During the pandemic, the elephant lived in a forest but struggled to find food so Long decided to hand him over to the centre.

The elephant’s owner will be paid VNĐ700 million (US$29,660) for the animal.

This is the eighth domestic elephant collected by the centre, part of the cooperation programme between Đắk Lắk Province authorities and the AAF.

Through AAF funding, from 2022, the Đắk Lắk Province authorities have agreed to spend more than VNĐ55.4 billion ($2.2 million) to convert the model of elephant-riding to elephant-friendly tourism. The work aims to preserve elephant herds.

For many years, tourists riding elephants has affected the health, life expectancy and number of elephants in the area.

According to the centre, the province has about 37 domestic elephants and 80-100 wild elephants, a 90 per cent decrease compared to 1980. — VNS

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