SPECIAL PROJECTS

ELEPHANT RESCUES

Close up on elephant tusks

 

The Elephant Conservation Center is home to over 30 rescued elephants. Many of these elephants were previously used for work in the logging industry, but thanks to the ECC these elephants have a new home. The center will never turn down an elephant in need of a home, but the rescue process can be very costly. The Elephant Conservation Center's goal is to raise $35,000 every year for elephant rescues, and we want to help them get there!

Learn more about how you can help HERE


EXPERT VETCARE

Vet at the Elephant Conservation Center doing lab work with elephant in the background

Did you know that the Elephant Conservation Center is the only elephant hospital and research laboratory in Laos? Not only does the ECC provide care to their own elephants, but ANY elephant that is in need of veterinary care. The ECC uses trained veterinarian assistants to provide modern and traditional veterinary care for these elephants. Elephants are extremely intelligent and capable of self-medicating common health problems if they have access to wild plants in the forests. For this reason, staff at the EEC are moving away from antibiotic treatments and western medicines for small wounds, and returning to more organic and traditional approaches to veterinary care.

Learn more about how their vets are breaking boundaries HERE


BREEDING

Mother elephant and her calf crossing pond at the Elephant Conservation Center

Breeding is an absolute necessity. Did you know that for every 2 elephants born each year in Laos, there are 8 more deaths. In total, the estimated elephant population in Laos is 800, half of that is in captivity. Because only a small percentage of females are capable of breeding, it is probable that the Asian Elephant will disappear from Loas in the next 20-30 years, if action is not taken. To escape this population vortex, the ECC must use everything within their power to help. Through endocrinology research, staff at the ECC have been able to track ovulation cycles of capable females by using laboratory analyses of progesterone levels. When the time is right, fertile females are placed with suitable males. This may seem drastic, and un-natural, but it is a necessity for the preservation of the species. The ECC hopes to raise $6,000 each year for laboratory equipment and tests.

Learn more HERE


WILD ELEPHANTS

Herd of elephants foraging in forest

Did you know that the Elephant Conservation Center has wild elephants? In fact, they have over 50 wild elephants! 🦃 The ECC is part of Sayaboury's Nam Pouy National Protected Area. This area has over 200,000 hectares of undisturbed jungle. Protecting an area this big, requires a lot of resources. A good portion of their funds go to equipping rangers with the tools they need to keep the logging industry out of this area and monitor the wild populations. Money donated to this project will equip the rangers with tools such as camera traps, drones, GPS collar monitoring systems, and informant hotlines. 

Learn more HERE


ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Environmental education at the Elephant Conservation Center

Environmental education is by far one of the most import tasks we all must do. We must teach the importance of conservation and environmental preservation to new generations. The Elephant Conservation center invests in local schools to educate students about the role of elephants in their environment through a program they call "Kids in Conservation." The initiative of this program is to inform this new generation of the importance of the Asian Elephant (elephas maximus) in their environment.

Learn more about how kids are making a difference in their communities HERE