Vietnam: Central Highlands province mulls ban on elephant rides on safety, welfare concerns.
Vietnam: Central Highlands province mulls ban on elephant rides on safety, welfare concerns.
Ethical elephant tourism is being proposed throughout Vietnam. This follows the outlawing of elephant riding in Angkor Wat in adjacent Cambodia. It is a matter of time that elephant riding worldwide will be banned. Good on Nguyen Thuy Phuong Hieu for advancing ethical tourism on this region of Vietnam!
There has been a precipitous drop in surviving elephants in Vietnam. There are few live births each year among wild and captive elephants.
"In the 1990s, Vietnam had around 1,500-2,000 elephants in the wild but the number has dropped dramatically to 124-148 in eight of 63 localities in the country."[1]
"The nation had 165 domesticated elephants in 2,000 but just 91 in 2018. These animals are living in zoos, parks or tourism and entertainment areas in 11 cities and provinces." [1]
"Human encroachment into forests through the years has robbed the elephants of their natural habitats and main source of food." [1]
"Authorities in Dak Lak Province are considering calling a halt to the famous elephant-back tours following accidents and animal protection concerns." [2]
"Nguyen Thuy Phuong Hieu, deputy director of the Central Highlands province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said at a recent tourism conference that the tours, which activists describe as "exploitation" of elephants, would stop." [2]
""Instead Dak Lak, home to many of Vietnam's surviving elephants, will consider other services such as bathing and feeding the animals to offer tourists new experiences," she said." [2]
footnotes: [1] from article/research by Dac Tha"; [2] Tran Hoa, Nguyen Quy
