Saturday, February 14, 2009

Laos Elephant Festival

1 comment:

B.E.Trumble said...

Laos was once known as the land of a million elephants. Now there are around 1000 in the wild, and another 500 in the work camps. My cousin Bruce was one of the first westerners allowed back in Laos after the war, working for an NGO that funded conservation projects and mine removal programs on the Plain of Jars. It doesn't get mentioned often but the impact of thirty years of war on species like elephants and tigers in Laos, Cambodia, and Viet Nam was devastating. Mines, bombs, soldiers, and herbicides don't mix well with wildlife.