Elephant Conservation

General Information

Over the course of a week, I travelled with my school group to go to Laos and not only explore the country, but also learn about the work the Elephant Conservation Centre does. Not only did we go around the country to learn about the cultural heritage in Laos, but we went to the conservation centre to learn about how elephants are cared for.

Heritage Sites

One place we did get to visit was the UXO Lao Visitor Centre. It was here that we got to learn about the effects of the Vietnam War in Laos, and how people are still finding ordinances from that time period today. We got to learn how these devices are safely removed to best preserve the surroundings and ensure everyone’s safety. This centre was impactful as we not only saw the ordinances that were used in the war, but also how many are affected because of them.

Conservation Site

When exploring the Elephant Conservation Centre, we went along with the conservators there to learn about how the elephants were cared for. As most elephants came from circus or farm backgrounds, with a wide variety of attention and care/violence shown towards them, rehabilitation is required when they first come. Each elephant is looked after by a Mahut (a person who takes care of elephants) to ensure that they are ok and healthy on a daily basis. This ranges from being well-fed, getting enough exercise, are clean, and that they are in good health. By getting to see the centre’s job first-hand, it was easy to see that their role was important in ensuring that the elephants are living well in the wild. And if they noticed that any elephant was being abused in a circus or elsewhere, they would try to find a solution to get the elephant to the centre. With the information we learned on this trip, we could then share it with family and friends so they were aware of what good care looks like for the elephants. Plus, it would help create awareness of what the centre was doing as a way to potentially gain funding for the work they were doing.

IMG_6381 During the trip, we did visit local temples to learn about Buddhism in Laos.	IMG_6375 Early one morning, we got to give rice to local Buddhist monks.
IMG_6330 On the same day we visited a local zoo, we got to hike on a trail nearby.	IMG_6280 We had to boat all the way to a Buddhist temple that happened to be in a cave.
IMG_6314 Inside the cave of the Buddhist temple were symbols.	IMG_6134 To see the elephants walking about in the forest, we had to walk up a hill. From there, we sat in an open-air building to see the elephants from a distance.
IMG_6112 Our class got to sit on elephants. We learned that it is best to sit on the elephant's neck as that was where they were strongest. It isn't good to sit on their backs as it can cause back pain for them.	IMG_6068 We got to see a herd of elephants bathing and having fun together.
IMG_5940 Our group got to climb this steep hill to see a Buddhist temple.	IMG_5971 While visiting the outdoor Buddhist temple, we saw sculpturing that would have been used as decoration.
IMG_5969 After reaching the top of the Buddhist temple, we got to see this stunning view of the town below.	IMG_6407 The centre we visited showed the tools people used every day to find ordinances within their property.
IMG_6215 While walking on paths, the herd of elephants were usually walking in a line.