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ECC Returns to Elephant Fest with Activities
The Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC) is returning to the 2019 Sayabouly Elephant Festival on 22-28 February with activities aimed at action, education, and conservation. For the action category, ECC will be holding a race. Elephants, due to their size, are incapable of running. This led ECC to create the slogan “Elephants can’t run, but we can run to protect them”. There will be a procession of elephants walking, with a small group of people following behind. This will be safe for both the people and the elephants. Although the elephants cannot run, they will be the winners as ECC raises awareness for their cause. At the end of the race there will be three donation boxes to contribute for medicine, helping the elephants at the festival, and food. This, in turn, will contribute to the educational activity, “Eat Like an Elephant”. At “Eat Like an Elephant”, two tables will face each other, one for people and one for the elephants, to show both can eat the same food. This is a very light-hearted event, intended be entertaining and educational on how diverse an elephant’s diet is. Of course, people eat much less than an elephant, but all can learn and enjoy sharing a meal together. The final event will be a Baci ceremony for the elephants. This event will illustrate ECC’s work in conservation. These elephants will be sent into the Nam Pouy National Protected Area to meet and breed with wild elephants. They may even form stronger bonds with each other while the forest. With these small additions to the festival, ECC hopes to create more awareness and open up the festival to conservationists from around the world as an opportunity to support the elephants and the Lao communities helping them. Visit the ECC.
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Sayabouly Elephant Fest: What to do with Chinese Influx?
Sayabouly authorities are wondering how to accommodate the 500 or so Chinese visitors who will attend the elephant festival in the provincial capital this week and next. The popular annual event always fills guesthouses as people from around Laos flock to Sayabouly for the chance to see elephants close up and personal. Deputy Governor of Sayabouly province, Bounphak Inthapanya, told Vientiane Times yesterday they are expecting at least 100,000 people from Laos and other countries to attend the festival. “Authorities are discussing how best to accommodate the 500 Chinese visitors. They may have to stay in Phieng district, which is about 40km away, or in Luang Prabang,” she said. The Chinese contingent will travel in a convoy of vehicles arranged by a local tour operator. Head of the Sayabouly provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department, Chanthy Symanychan, said 70 elephants will take part in this year’s festival, which runs from February 22-28. The event will include cultural performances by eight ethnic groups, while the elephants will also put on shows including running and picture painting, and will play games of football and bowling. Another big attraction is a street fair selling handicrafts and goods made in Laos and neighbouring countries. Sayabouly website Source: Vientiane Times, Siladda Souliyong
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Free the Bears Off to Roaring 2019 Start
The Free the Bears Lao team headed of on 18 February for a nine-hour drive to rescue two moon bears. The Lao team has been battling for 18 months to rescue these two. (Laos Rescues #67 & #68) Laos Rescue #66, nicknamed Mary Christmas, is on the road to recovery after she was almost lost forever to the illegal wildlife trade. Click to watch a moving video showing Mary’s progress over the past two months. As with most of our rescued bears, Mary will require lifelong care. To help us provide this care, we need to build a base of regular donors. Please register as a monthly donor. Even a small monthly donation can make a big difference to the bears.
