Tuesday 29 January 2019

MALE ELEPHANTS... NO ATTENTION IS GIVEN TO THEM, DESPITE THEIR HIGH RATE OF DECLINE

Male Elephants
Photograph by Céline Gibert
In order to provide solutions for unemployed male elephants and mahouts, the ECC has welcomed several male elephants for breeding and socialisation purposes. In 2018, the ECC rescued five males, bringing the total to eight males under our care.

Male elephants are often considered dangerous. For several weeks a year, they go into a heightened hormonal state called musth. During this time, they can be very aggressive and unpredictable.

When the logging industry declined in Laos, female elephants were prioritised for use in the tourism industry since they pose a lesser risk.

The population of male elephants is thus declining rapidly and there is a clear lack of good breeders in the country. Without more actions to conserve the existing population of male elephants, there is a high risk of inbreeding within the current population.

The ECC shelters and takes care of male elephants that are otherwise neglected by tourist camps and are at risk of being illegally exported to foreign countries or just left to die as they generate no income for their owners.

The Elephant Conservation Center 
Nam Tien Lake, Sayaboury district, Lao PDR
Manthatoulat Road (Mekong riverside) Ban Pakham, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR
Tel : +856-20-96590665
Email: marketing@elephantconservationcenter.com
social media (Facebook and Instagram).
Website: https://www.elephantconservationcenter.com/

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