The present-day Lao People’s Demo­c­ra­t­ic Repub­lic traces its his­toric and cul­tur­al iden­ti­ty to one of South­east Asia’s largest king­doms – Lan Xang Hom Khao, also known as the Land of a Mil­lion Ele­phants and the White Para­sol. A cen­tu­ry ago Laos was a sanc­tu­ary for some 40 000 wild ele­phants, but their num­bers have been dras­ti­cal­ly reduced to 1,000 due to defor­esta­tion, poach­ers seek­ing ivory, and tourism. Today in Laos a dozen of ele­phant sanc­tu­ar­ies are com­mit­ted towards ele­phant preservation.

<figcaption>Ho Chi Minh trail</figcaption>

The Ele­phant Con­ser­va­tion Cen­ter, sup­port­ed by the NGO Ele­fant Asia, was estab­lished in Sayaboury as Laos’ first ele­phant vet­eri­nary facil­i­ty, tak­ing care of ani­mals that have been injured in log­ging acci­dents or affect­ed by dis­ease. Vis­it the cen­ter and meet its vet­eri­nar­i­ans to under­stand how they are pro­tect­ing and pre­serv­ing this mys­ti­cal giant with clay feet that is on its way to extinc­tion. Engage with the mag­nif­i­cent mam­mals by feed­ing them or help­ing with their dai­ly bath. Vis­it the nurs­ery, where ele­phant calves are learn­ing how to sus­tain them­selves under the close watch of their mothers.

<figcaption>© Auu Chotiga</figcaption>