THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

LUANG PRABANG (LAOS), SEPTEMBER 9, 2026

Laos, once celebrated as the “Land of a Million Elephants”, is set to get a major boost to elephant welfare and conservation with Mandalao Elephant Conservation and Gujarat-based Vantara launching a new programme to strengthen veterinary care, provide lifelong support to elephants in need and protect the country’s dwindling wild elephant population.

The two organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand veterinary capacity and develop long-term conservation initiatives for elephants in Laos, where both wild and captive populations are facing a steady decline.

Laos is currently estimated to have only around 400 wild elephants and more than 400 elephants in captivity. While wild elephants face habitat loss, fragmentation, human-elephant conflict and poaching, many captive elephants continue to be used in logging and tourism, often with limited access to specialised veterinary care.

The gravity of the situation is reflected in estimates that for every one to two elephants born in Laos each year, around 10 die.

As the first major initiative under the partnership, an Elephant Rapid Response Team has been inaugurated at Mandalao Elephant Conservation in Luang Prabang in the presence of Lao government representatives.

Vantara has provided a fully equipped mobile elephant veterinary unit to enable the team to respond to sick and injured elephants across the country, covering both wild and captive animals. The collaboration will also establish a specialised elephant hospital for emergency treatment, long-term care and rehabilitation.

The launch coincides with the rescue of Mae Khamnoy, a 43-year-old female elephant who spent her entire life working in logging operations.

The elephant reportedly lost two calves during pregnancy as a result of the hardships she endured and was later kept alone beside a busy road in Vientiane, where she was used for tourist rides and performances.

Mae Khamnoy will now retire at Mandalao Elephant Conservation, where she will receive veterinary treatment, a natural and balanced diet and the opportunity to live alongside other elephants and regain social interaction.

Her rescue also draws attention to the welfare challenges faced by working elephants, including injuries linked to prolonged labour, inappropriate riding equipment and the use of hooks.

The partnership is also aimed at strengthening local veterinary and animal-care expertise. As part of the initiative, veterinary teams from Vantara and Mandalao conducted a health camp for 12 resident elephants, carrying out comprehensive health assessments, diagnostic procedures and specialist consultations.

Training programmes will further focus on elephant welfare, husbandry, nutrition and preventive healthcare for caregivers and veterinarians, with the aim of creating sustainable local capacity to care for elephants.

 “Establishing this Elephant Response Team is a major step forward for elephant welfare and veterinary care in Laos,” Dr Tim Bouts, Elephant Veterinary Specialist at Mandalao Elephant Conservation, said.

 

He said the organisation was proud to offer the service free of charge to elephant owners and government departments responsible for elephants across the country, while thanking Vantara for its support.

The partnership will extend beyond elephants in human care, with Mandalao and Vantara planning field-based conservation measures to help recover Laos’ wild elephant population and safeguard its genetic diversity.

The proposed work will include population recovery, habitat stewardship, community engagement and measures to reduce human-elephant conflict and poaching, in coordination with Lao authorities, local communities and conservation partners.

 “We are glad to partner with Mandalao to support the elephants of Laos, in Laos,” Ajit Kulkarni, Special Director, Compliance and Due Diligence, Vantara, said.

 “By combining veterinary care with investment in local expertise and conservation in the wild, we hope to make a lasting contribution to the future of the country’s elephants,” he said.

The initiative brings together Mandalao’s experience of working with elephants in Laos and Vantara’s veterinary, technical and conservation capabilities, with the broader objective of building the country’s long-term capacity to protect, treat and conserve its elephants.