The Lao PDR has approximately 470 domesticated elephants. Most of them are engaged in timber harvesting operations by logging companies and therefore causal to the destruction of natural wild elephant habitat. Working within the logging industry is a dangerous occupation for an elephant, made to work at a furious pace many suffer from injuries such as broken legs; abscesses; foot injuries and even death. Physical exhaustion and malnutrition are also issues of great concern and cause of infertility.

In association with the Lao National Animal Health Centre, ElefantAsia implements free veterinary treatment for working elephants suffering from illness or injury via the ElefantAsia Mobile Veterinary Units. Vehicles especially adapted for the treatment of elephants in remote areas visit logging sites, tourism centres and villages where elephants are employed. The “Lao Captive Elephant Care and Management Programme” mobile veterinary units carry out approximately twenty national field missions per annum, with up to twenty emergency healthcare calls and musth management also completed within the same timeframe. Distribution of Elephant First Aid kits is currently conducted by the Mobile Veterinary Units; onsite training is given to mahouts providing advice on basic care for their animal and use of medicines. Future activities included the establishment of revolving drugs funds in order to replenish the equipment in the kits at minimal cost to the mahouts.

Establishment of Laos’ first elephant hospital at the Elephant Conservation Center in Sayaboury province offers treatment to animals suffering from severe injuries and acute infectious diseases that cannot be managed effectively in the field. Managed by ElefantAsia, the hospital includes a laboratory fully equipped for blood analysis and parasitology. Implementation of new protocols allows for the testing of common infectious diseases and the undertaking of epidemiology studies within Laos in areas of tuberculosis and EEHV (Elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus) in collaboration with the Kasetsart University, Thailand and the University of Montreal, Canada. ElefantAsia is also studying elephant reproduction and welfare in association with the University of Sheffield, UK. Whilst working to secure funding to complete DNA analysis in relation to possible future inbreeding within domesticated and wild populations.

Since 2006 ElefantAsia and the Department of Livestock and Fisheries (DLF) have undertaken rigorous paper registration of domesticated elephants in Laos and have currently visited 95% of the nation’s population of domesticated elephants. Microchipping of captive populations has also been conducted by ElefantAsia and the DLF forming a national database. Currently the ElefantAsia team has successfully microchipped 453 elephants.

ElefantAsia in co-operation with DLF is also working to implement an Elephant Welfare decree which will provide working rights to mahouts and their elephants including designated working and resting times, holiday entitlement, provision of appropriate logging equipment, implementation of log size restrictions and cover ownership rights.

Your donation will support the provision of medicines, treatment of sick and injured elephants and the running costs of our field missions including fuel and vehicle maintenance amongst a whole host of other items required to effectively run the Veterinary and Welfare programme, and thus promote the wellbeing of the Asian elephant within Laos.

For further information in relation to our projects, please see our websites.

www.elefantasia.orgwww.elephantconservationcenter.com

Veterinary & Welfare Programme

WORKING TO IMPROVE THEWELFARE OF ASIAN ELEPHANTSIN THE LAO PDR