Amazon.com Widgets
misc

Elephant Caravan in Laos sparks conservation debate

Trunk route … a previous Elephant Caravan troops through Laos. The animals won’t be ridden this year.

2015-11-14 - Pak Lay, Laos.

In Laos, the elephant population has been decimated by logging. Now, a caravan of elephants and their mahouts is marching 400 miles to raise awareness of their plight. The caravan started in Pak Lay district on 27 October and will end, 391 miles later, in Luang Prabang on 9 December with 20 elephants parading through the streets.


 Read more  

conservation

Captive elephants in Laos face extinction

A UQ study has shown the captive elephant population in Laos is declining as the elephants are not allowed to breed at a rate sufficient to sustain the population.

2014-05-05 - , Laos.

The captive elephant population in Laos will be extinct in just over a century if current management practices do not change, a University of Queensland study has found. It is estimated that only 480 captive elephants remain across Laos, and the study shows that changes to conservation management are necessary to prevent extinction.


 Read more  

relocation

Export of elephants from Laos to Japan.

2012-10-12 - Vientiane, Laos.

Known as “Japan-Laos Goodwill Elephants,” eight predominately young female elephants will soon be shipped from their forested and subtropical homes in north-west Laos, to the cold, concreted and caged Tohoko Safari Park, 20 kilometers outside the Fukushima evacuation zone. Well that’s where the fortunate ones will end up. Two are destined for the Kinoshito Circus, whereabouts unknown.


 Read more  

event

Elephants draw tourists to Laos

2012-02-23 - Hongsa, Laos.

Sayabouly has hosted an elephant festival for six consecutive years sharing venues in three districts — Sayabouly, Paklai and Hongsa. This year’s event took place, 17 to 19 February, and attracted around 100,000 visitors. Almost all spectators were domestic tourists, while just a few international tourists, possibly 1,000 and most ly Thais, joined the festival.


 Read more  

event

The 6th Annual Lao Elephant Festival in Hongsa

2012-02-17 - Hongsa, Laos.

The Elephant Festival has been organised to raise awareness of the need for action to protect the Asian elephant as part of the vital cultural and natural heritage of Laos and the countries of the region. Sayaboury Province welcomes you back to pay tribute to its elephants and enjoy great cultural activities and entertainment.


 Read more  

birth

Announcing arrival of new baby at Xayabouri Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC) in Laos

2011-11-29 - Xayabouri, Laos. Tracy Brookshaw, ElefantAsia

Having reported Laos’ first registered elephant birth of 2011 in Ban Viengkeo, Hongsa late September, ElefantAsia proudly announces the birth of a second baby elephant born in Sayaboury just last week. Born to mother Mae Thongkhoun under the supervision of ECC staff, this new baby elephant, a male, will share the same name ‘Noy’ meaning small with the other calves at the Center until the age of two or three when during an official animist ceremony he will chose his own name through the sel...


 Read more  

facility

Laos’ first elephant breeding sanctuary opens

2011-09-29 - Xayabouri, Laos. Ingrid Suter

ElefantAsia has collaborated with the Elephant Conservation Centre to establish Laos’ first elephant breeding sanctuary. The Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) focuses on providing cows with a safe environment to give birth, when their calves while supplying an income for their owners through soft tourism. The ECC hosts a specialised elephant hospital and laboratory, run by ElefantAsia. This much-needed hospital is capable of detailed blood analysis and the provision of full-time care for sick...


 Read more  

wild

Luang Namtha protects wild elephant herd

There are about 600 wild elephants and 500 domesticated elephants remaining in Laos.

2011-04-21 - Vientiane, Laos.

A herd of wild elephants in Luang Namtha province in the country´s north is now being protected to ensure they do not disappear, according to a provincial official. Luang Namtha provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office Head Mr Soukson Phonpadith told Vientiane Times yesterday there were great numbers of wild elephants in the province in the past.

“Now only six elephants remain,” he said.

The main causes of the decimation of the elephant population are de...


 Read more  

event

2011 Elephant Festival in Laos

2011-02-18 - Paklay, Laos.

For its 5th edition, the Lao Elephant Festival will take place on: 18th, 19th & 20th February 2011. Paklay District, Sayaboury province


 Read more  

death

Raid on mahouts leaves one elephant, one poacher dead in Laos

2010-08-17 - Vientiane, Laos.

A shootout between a gang of poachers and elephant handlers in Laos left one man and one pachyderm dead, news reports said Tuesday. The gang allegedly attacked the mahouts at midnight on August 9 in Hinheup district, Vientiane province, in an attempt to slaughter four elephants for their ivory and body parts, district governor Chanpaeng Douangphachan told the Vientiane Times. Chanpaeng said the poachers fired upon the mahouts, sparking a brief shootout before the elephant minders fled and inform...


 Read more  

relocation

To the circus: conservationists warn of elephant exodus from Laos. Once worshipped as gods, the endangered elephant population of Laos is under threat from a legal loophole

Mahouts (elephant keepers) are being offered incentives to conserve the elephant population of Laos.

2010-08-10 - Thongmixay, Laos. Fiona MacGregor

It may be known as the Land of a Million Elephants, but conservationists are warning that the imminent exportation of more than a third of Laos´s remaining domesticated elephant calves to a Chinese circus could prove disastrous for the endangered species. Once worshipped as gods, the animals are still considered sacred by many in Laos, but loss of habitat and tradition means there are now just 20 domesticated elephants under the age of 10 left in the country.


 Read more  

abstract

Polluting power plant to endanger the life of Laos’ elephants

2009-09-14 - Vientiane, Laos.

The Laotian government has approved a plan to develop a lignite mine and built a power plant in the Hongsa Valley, an area near the habitat of an important elephant population. Environmentalists and experts fear this will drive the pachyderms closer to extinction. A new lignite mine and a power station are slated for construction in Hongsa Valley (Sayaboury province), a natural habitat for elephants that is irreplaceable.


 Read more  

event

Laos power plant misses jumbo payout

2009-09-08 - Sayaboury, Laos. Beaumont Smith

The wildly successful Sayaboury Elephant Festival, held this year in the village of Hongsa, attracted more than 80,000 visitors, some elegantly attired, some dreadlocked ganja-inspired, despite the event's remote location in northwestern Laos. The 70 or so jumbos were by turns applauded, photographed and simply adored as they dipped like divas.


 Read more  

medical

Lost in Laos

2009-09-05 - Botene, Laos. SIMON MONTLAKE

When French explorer Henri Mouhot passed this way in 1861, he found the roads so rugged -- "devil's pathways," he called them -- that the only way to travel was on the back of an elephant, without which "no communication would be possible." His appreciation for the animals grew to be nearly poetic. "This colossus is no rough specimen of natural handiwork," he wrote, "but a creature of especial amiability and sagacity, designed for the service of man." Back then, every village had elephants -- so...


 Read more  

event

Laos elephant festival

2009-02-14 - Sayaboury, Laos.

The Elephant Festival has been organised to raise awareness of the need for action to protect the Asian elephant as part of the vital cultural and natural heritage of Laos and the countries of the region. Sayaboury Province welcomes you back to pay tribute to its elephants and enjoy great cultural activities and entertainment.


 Read more  

conservation

Tourists seen as a lifeline for Laos elephants

FUTURE ENDANGERED: Tourism projects in Laos could help secure the future of the elephant which is under threat in

2008-04-02 - Vientiane, Laos.

Laos, once known as the Land of a Million Elephants, faces warnings from conservationists that it could lose its herds within 50 years if it does not move quickly to protect them with tourism eyed as a possible savior. Poaching and habitat loss from logging, agriculture and hydroelectric projects has caused a major decline in the number of both wild and domesticated Asian elephants in Communist Laos.


 Read more  

misc

In Laos, Prized Elephants Are in Decline

Laotian mahouts ride their elephants in the jungle at the second annual elephant festival in Paklay, Laos, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008. The festival was held to bring attention to the plight of Asian elephants.

2008-03-16 - Vientiane, Laos. DENIS D. GRAY

Connie Speight has swayed on elephant-back through unforgiving jungle and has adopted nine of the high-maintenance beasts. At 83, the retired American teacher is back in this Southeast Asian country to help save what remains of the once mighty herds. Once so famous for its herds that it was called Prathet Lane Xane, or Land of a Million Elephants, Laos is thought to have only 700 left in the wild.


 Read more  

event

The elephant festival

2008-02-15 - Paklay, Laos.

the Elephant Festival has been organised to raise awareness of the need for action to protect the Asian elephant as part of the vital cultural and natural heritage of Laos and the countries of the region. Sayaboury Province welcomes you back to pay tribute to its elephants and enjoy great cultural activities and entertainment.


 Read more  

pictures

A mahout scrubs his elephant

2008-02-14 - Paklay, Laos.

A mahout scrubs his elephant in a river Paklay, Laos, where the annual pachyderm festival is under way. The event draws attention to the plight of domestic and wild elephants in Asia. Laos once had more than a million of the beasts; now there are fewer than 2,000.


 Read more  

blog

Elephant Mahouts. From Tony and Carrie"s Around the World Adventure

A taste of their daily work

2007-12-22 - Luang Prabang, Laos. VanderWoodzanden

What an amazing experience to ride on the back (actually closer to the head) of an elephant and just trek through the jungle. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to experience the life of a mahout (elephant keeper and trainer) and join them in their daily activities. The elephant camp has been established outside of Luang Prabang. There are seven female elephants and one baby male elephant. The females were all rescued from their former life of logging and the male was purchased from Siam Rea...


 Read more  

event

Life is a jumbo. Elephants seem to be on the run everywhere, but in Viengkeo the tide seems to be turning their way

Elephants impose their presence on tourists visiting at the festival held to raise awareness about the animals that hold a special place in the hearts of Laotian people.

2007-03-08 - Viengkeo, Laos. YVONNE BOHWONGPRASERT

Senior mahout Thongpetch's eyes turn misty when he speaks about his feelings for Kham Peng, a 23-year-old elephant with lots of personality. Xayaboury has 500 domesticated elephants and a further 200 to 300 that live in the wild. Hongsa is the largest district in the province and Viengkeo has the elephant community. Actually Hongsa's human and elephant population are evenly matched, and the district holds a special place in elephant folklore because of the excellence of its mahouts who regard th...


 Read more  

event

Elephants carry hopes of Lao eco-tourism

2007-03-07 - Hongsa, Laos.

Ancient Laos was known as Lan Xang, the "Land of One Million Elephants" but today fewer than 2,000 of the animals survive and about half of them are driving the problem by helping log the country's last virgin forests. To raise awareness about the plight of the majestic animals, France-based non-profit group ElefantAsia last month organised modern Laos' first elephant festival in the remote northwestern district of Hongsa.


 Read more  

event

The Hongsa Elephant Festival February 17th and 18th 2007.

2007-02-17 - Hongsa, Laos.

The Hongsa Elephant Festival has been organised to raise awareness of the need for action to protect the Asian elephant as part of the vital cultural and natural heritage of Laos and the countries of the region. Sayaboury Province welcomes you to pay tribute to its elephants and enjoy great cultural activities and entertainment. A unique 2-days cultural attraction for visitors to Laos!


 Read more  

23 Headlines about Elephants from Laos2015-11-14 - Pak Lay, Laos - Elephant Caravan in Laos sparks conservation debate 2014-05-05 - , Laos - Captive elephants in Laos face extinction 2012-10-12 - Vientiane, Laos - Export of elephants from Laos to Japan. 2012-02-23 - Hongsa, Laos - Elephants draw tourists to Laos 2012-02-17 - Hongsa, Laos - The 6th Annual Lao Elephant Festival in Hongsa 2011-11-29 - Xayabouri, Laos - Announcing arrival of new baby at Xayabouri Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC) in Laos 2011-09-29 - Xayabouri, Laos - Laos’ first elephant breeding sanctuary opens 2011-04-21 - Vientiane, Laos - Luang Namtha protects wild elephant herd 2011-02-18 - Paklay, Laos - 2011 Elephant Festival in Laos 2010-08-17 - Vientiane, Laos - Raid on mahouts leaves one elephant, one poacher dead in Laos 2010-08-10 - Thongmixay, Laos - To the circus: conservationists warn of elephant exodus from Laos. Once worshipped as gods, the endangered elephant population of Laos is under threat from a legal loophole 2009-09-14 - Vientiane, Laos - Polluting power plant to endanger the life of Laos’ elephants 2009-09-08 - Sayaboury, Laos - Laos power plant misses jumbo payout 2009-09-05 - Botene, Laos - Lost in Laos 2009-02-14 - Sayaboury, Laos - Laos elephant festival 2008-04-02 - Vientiane, Laos - Tourists seen as a lifeline for Laos elephants 2008-03-16 - Vientiane, Laos - In Laos, Prized Elephants Are in Decline 2008-02-15 - Paklay, Laos - The elephant festival 2008-02-14 - Paklay, Laos - A mahout scrubs his elephant 2007-12-22 - Luang Prabang, Laos - Elephant Mahouts. From Tony and Carrie"s Around the World Adventure 2007-03-08 - Viengkeo, Laos - Life is a jumbo. Elephants seem to be on the run everywhere, but in Viengkeo the tide seems to be turning their way 2007-03-07 - Hongsa, Laos - Elephants carry hopes of Lao eco-tourism 2007-02-17 - Hongsa, Laos - The Hongsa Elephant Festival February 17th and 18th 2007.

20 years on Internet!

ELEPHANT NEWS was created on 2001 in Munich, and relaunched in Phnom Penh in 2020, with almost 8 000 links to news articles about elephants on the Internet

A number of articles now also have a cross reference to the elephant database, either for individuals elephants and/or to an article about the location holding

In the right column, you can also see if an elephant has birthday today, and follow the link to more facts!

Future elephant conferences, courses, events, jobs, films and workshops2023-10-02 until 2023-10-05 Conference in Fort Worth: 44th Annual EMA conference 2023-11-14 until 2023-11-17 Conference in Chiang Mai: 19th International Elephant Conservation and Research Symposium
conference

44th Annual EMA conference

2023-10-02 - Fort Worth, United States.

The Elephant Managers Association (EMA) is proud to announce the dates for our 44th annual conference, hosted by both the Fort Worth Zoo and Dallas Zoo on October 2 to 5, 2023. The conference will inc...


 Read more  But Share with
Extern Link Read about Fort Worth Zoo in the Elephant Database
death

Oldest captive elephant in Malaysia dies

2023-09-10 - Temerloh, Malaysia.

The female elephant, which died at the Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre (PKGK) in Lanchang, was brought to the country from Assam, India in 1974. Lokimala was brought to this country...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Lokimala in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Education Centre in the Elephant Database
birth

Nong Nooch Pattaya celebrates fourth elephant birth this year

2023-08-28 - Pattaya, Thailand.

Following Thai tradition, the offspring of Pang Sarai, 22, and Plai Ningnong, 27, was named ‘Plai Boonmak,’ symbolizing ‘Abundant Merit.’ This ceremony expressed heartfelt wishes for the well-...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Plai Boonmak in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens in the Elephant Database
misc

Baby elephant at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo officially named

2023-08-26 - Omaha, United States.

The baby elephant at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo officially has a name; Amandra. Pronounced “ah-MON-dra,” the name means “strong woman.” The zoo said it was chosen by a donor and their family. ...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Amandra in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo in the Elephant Database
death

Melbourne Zoo herd grieving after nine-year-old elephant dies

2023-08-24 - Melbourne, Australia.

Melbourne Zoo’s nine-year-old elephant Man Jai has died after a sudden illness. The Asian elephant was diagnosed with an incurable disease on Monday after zookeepers noticed lethargy and swelling in...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Man Jai in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Melbourne Zoo in the Elephant Database
event

Preparations At Palace To House Dasara Elephants

2023-08-22 - Mysore, India.

Preparations are in full swing at the Mysore Palace premises ahead of the arrival of the Dasara elephants. The jumbos will camp here for approximately two months, undergoing training and consuming nut...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Chaitra in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Ramapura camp in the Elephant Database
misc

Poisoned watermelon given to elephant

2023-08-21 - Kataragama, Sri Lanka.

An individual who fed a poisoned watermelon to an elephant called “ Asela” of the Kataragama Abhinawarama temple was taken into custody by the Kataragama police on saturday. However, Veterinary S...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Asela in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Kataragama Kiri Vehera Dewalaya in the Elephant Database
conservation

How elephant populations are being controlled using contraceptives

2023-08-21 - Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Contraceptives are now being successfully used to prevent elephant overpopulation in South Africa. Approximately 75% of all breeding-age female elephants outside of the greater Kruger National Park ha...


 Read more  But Share with
Extern Link Read about Kruger National Park (KNP) in the Elephant Database

Extern relevant Links (external link which opens in new window):
Elephant Contraception


Extern relevant Links (external link which opens in new window):
Elephant Contraception
birth

Baby Elephant Born at Sapporo Maruyama Zoo

2023-08-21 - Sapporo, Japan.

19-year-old Asian elephant Pearl and her newborn baby stand together at the Sapporo Maruyama Zoo in Sapporo. According to the zoo, this is the first time in Japan that an Asian elephant has been born ...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about notnamed in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Sapporo Maruyama Zoo in the Elephant Database
welfare

Elephants at Hanoi zoo unchained after electric fence replacement

2023-08-18 - Hanoi, Vietnam.

Two elephants at the Hanoi Zoo have been unchained after electric fences have been replaced anew. Le Si Dung, general director of the Hanoi Zoological Garden company, on Thursday said the two elephant...


 Read more  But Share with
Extern Link Read about Hanoi Zoo in the Elephant Database
relocation

Sak Surin moved to new home in the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre

2023-08-18 - Lampang, Thailand.

The Thai elephant, recently repatriated from Sri Lanka, Sak Surin, was moved to a new home today (Friday), at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang province, after the completion of its 30-...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Sak Surin in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Thai Elephant Conservation Center (TECC) in the Elephant Database
birth

Wuhan Zoo works to build home for new Elephant family

2023-08-16 - Wuhan, China.

Born on June 26, 2022, the male elephant marked the first time that the zoo successfully bred an African elephant. The calf's father, named A Hai, and his mother, named A Nan, came to Wuhan in 1997 fr...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about unknown in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Wuhan Zoo in the Elephant Database
birth

Baby elephants to be born at Fresno Chaffee Zoo for 1st time ever

2023-08-14 - Fresno, United States.

The Fresno Chaffee Zoo celebrated World Elephant Day with a big announcement. Zoo officials say their female African Elephants are pregnant. They are expected to give birth between September and Octob...


 Read more  But Share with
Extern Link Read about Fresno Chaffee Zoological Gardens in the Elephant Database
relocation

Sak Surin will not be returning to Sri Lanka : Varawut

2023-07-05 - Lampang, Thailand.

It is out of question that Sak Surin, now the most famous elephant in Thailand, will have to return to Sri Lanka, as he is now under the patronage of HM the King, said Natural Resources and Environmen...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Sak Surin in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Thai Elephant Conservation Center (TECC in the Elephant Database
relocation

Tusker Muthu Raja (Sak Surin) airlifted to Thailand

2023-07-04 - Lampang, Thailand.

On 2 July 2023 at 07.00 hrs. the Tusker, Muthu Raja (Sak Surin), was transported from Sri Lanka to Thailand for medical treatment and rehabilitation by Ilyushin IL-76 cargo plane, with cooperation fro...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Sak Surin in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about TECC elephant hospital Lampang in the Elephant Database
relocation

Ailing jumbo Sak Surin to be brought home

2023-05-27 - Colombo, Sri Lanka.

A team of veterinarians and experts will be sent to Sri Lanka next month to prepare for the return of Sak Surin, an ailing and ageing Thai elephant, to Thailand for medical treatment and physical reha...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Sak Surin in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Sri Lanka National Zoological Gardens (Dehiwela Zoo) in the Elephant Database
medical

Karachi’s second elephant Madhubala catches fatal infection, a month after death of Noor Jehan

2023-05-21 - Karachi, Pakistan.

A month after the death of Noor Jehan, an elephant in Karachi Zoo whose illness revived criticisms of the zoos, a second elephant named Madhubala is sick with a potentially fatal infection. The 18-yea...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Madhubala in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Karachi Zoo in the Elephant Database
relocation

African elephant to be moved from Omaha zoo to Kansas as part of conservation effort

2023-05-18 - , United States.

Callee, a 22-year-old male who has been at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium since 2019, will be moved to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, the Omaha zoo announced on Thursday. Callee's move was...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Callee in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo in the Elephant Database
relocation

Iconic Elephant Says Goodbye to Infamous Puerto Rican Zoo

2023-05-15 - Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

In the early evening of May 11, a small crowd gathered in front of the Zoológico Dr. Juan A. Rivero, hoping for one last peek of Mundi, the elephant symbol of the zoo shut down for animal abuse in M...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Mundi in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Mayaguez Zoo (Juan A. Rivero Zoo) in the Elephant Database
death

Dallas Zoo elephant dies in Herpes

2023-05-09 - Dallas, United States.

The Dallas Zoo made the heartbreaking announcement Tuesday that one of its elephants has died. The 7-year-old African elephant, Ajabu, passed away Monday after a 12-day battle with a viral infection, ...


 Read more  But Share with

Extern Link Read about Ajabu in the Elephant Database
Extern Link Read about Dallas Zoo in the Elephant Database


Back in history: 1 2 3 » »»

Elephant News

ELEPHANT NEWS

Established 2001
Search for keywords


Locations of visitors to this page Editor Dan KoehlGuestbookArchive+1995-2023 Latest headlinesBy countriesBy locationsElephant BooksSubmit NewsContact EditorAbout elephant-news.comLink to us!Links to newssitesTo Elephant FactsHeadlines