Elephants in Laos Dwindle in Numbers
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VIENTIANE, Laos — 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.
“Lots of people in Asia tell you how elephants are their proud national heritage,” Ms. Speight says. “But I tell them, ‘It was your heritage, and what are you doing to bring it back?’ Often precious little.”
Elephants in Laos are better off than in most of the 12 other nations that are home to the animals. The country has extensive forest cover and a sparse population. But like elsewhere, it’s a race against time. Poachers, dam builders, loggers, and farmers are taking a deadly toll on the endangered species.
“The situation will become very dramatic in about 10 years if nothing changes,” the co-founder of France-based ElefantAsia, Sebastien Duffillot, said. At their current rate of decline, Laos’ wild elephants could be extinct within 50 years, he warns.
