Dak Lak: Domestic elephants enjoy buffet on World Elephant Day

The elephants 'attend' the special feast. (Photo: VNA)

Aiming to raise public awareness of protection and conservation of the animal, the annual event also entailed interactive activities between mahouts and visitors.

Tran Xuan Phuoc, head of the centre, elaborated that Dak Lak now houses 36 domestic elephants, with 14 of them are in Lak and the remainder in Buon Don district. Due to such limited number, reproduction becomes difficult, posing challenges to conservation and species development.

The centre has been collaborating closely with organisations and mahouts to ensure proper care and welfare for the elephants, he said.

The celebration of World Elephant Day on August 12 is also an opportunity for locals and tourists to enhance their awareness of elephant conservation and work together in building elephant-friendly tourism models to ensure the well-being of the animal helping conserve the domestic elephant population in Dak Lak.

According to statistics, the number of domestically raised elephants in Dak Lak has significantly decreased over time. Starting from around 502 individuals in the early 1980s, the population has dropped to just 36 as of 2023./.