Funding is being provided to "rescue" two elephants at Thu Le Park.

The cost of "rescuing" the elephants is not an issue.

Regarding the case of two elephants at Hanoi Zoo living in chains, Animals Asia recently sent a document to the Hanoi People's Committee proposing a plan to transfer these two elephants to Yok Don National Park (Dak Lak).

The document from Animals Asia states: "The elephant enclosure at Hanoi Zoo is very cramped and insufficient to meet the elephants' natural needs. Elephants need space to move freely in order to improve and maintain their health."

One of the two elephants at Hanoi Zoo.

Elephants need to be given the opportunity to perform essential natural behaviors that are consistent with their species' instincts. This helps improve their welfare, allowing them to have positive experiences that enhance their physical and mental health.

In fact, the elephants at Hanoi Zoo are often chained in one place for long periods, and the zoo's resources for care and feeding are limited, so the health of these two elephants will continue to deteriorate and it will be difficult to improve if they continue to live in such conditions."

Animals Asia believes the best solution is to return the two elephants to their natural habitat in Yok Don National Park ( Dak Lak province), where elephant conservation is underway. The organization is willing to fund the transportation costs if the proposal is approved.

Speaking to a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper , David Neale, Global Welfare Director of Animals Asia, said that living in chains negatively affected the lives of the two elephants.

David Neale, Global Welfare Director of Animals Asia.

"If you go to Thu Le Park, you will see two elephants named Thai and Banang chained in two different places. There is virtually no communication between the two elephants."

In particular, Hanoi Zoo is caring for two elephants by dumping their food in one place without giving them a choice.

"In a semi-wild environment, even in less natural environments like parks, elephants still have the right to choose their food and move freely, but at Hanoi Zoo, they are chained," said David Neale.

Representatives from Animals Asia suggested that Hanoi Zoo needs to review its care practices and repair the electric fence to allow elephants to move freely within their natural habitat at the zoo.

"The current habitat of the two elephants in the park is not secure. Therefore, in the long term, relevant authorities, including the Hanoi city government, the Dak Lak provincial government, and Animals Asia, should meet to discuss whether it is possible to include these two elephants in the elephant conversion program currently being implemented at Yok Don National Park (Dak Lak), to help them live in a forest environment."

At Yok Don, these two elephants will be cared for by staff from the Animals Asia organization. They are all highly experienced elephant handlers. In addition, there are always domestic and international experts and veterinarians monitoring their health and development," suggested David Neale.

"Having money doesn't mean you can move an elephant."

Speaking to a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper about the proposal from Animals Asia, Mr. Le Si Dung, General Director of Hanoi Zoo One-Member Limited Company, said that there have been no discussions between his company and Animals Asia or Yok Don National Park.

According to the Hanoi Zoo's leadership, the two elephants are elderly, making it very difficult for them to reintegrate into the wild.

"The proposal is unreasonable. The two elephants are 60-70 years old and have been cared for by the zoo for over 10 years. If released into the wild, they won't know how to forage, defend themselves, or live in herds, and they will die," Mr. Dung stated, adding that the two elephants are too old to be reintegrated into the wild.

The Hanoi Zoo director added that elephants are social animals, and newly arrived elephants cannot integrate into the herd. Living alone is also not good for each individual elephant. Furthermore, each elephant weighs more than 2 tons, and if new and old elephants fight, who knows what might happen.

"We must also consider the possibility that the elephant may be healthy when brought to the sanctuary, but if it dies after a while, who will be responsible?" Mr. Dung emphasized.

Transporting elephants back into the wild can involve many problems and risks.

According to Mr. Dung, the distance from Hanoi to Dak Lak is thousands of kilometers, and transporting elephants there can present many problems and risks; the worst-case scenario is that the elephants could die along the way.

"The Animals Asia organization doesn't seem to have studied the biological characteristics of these two elephants. If there's a risk, the elephants will die en route because wild animals easily become very stressed when captured and confined."

"I have information that this organization will fund the transportation costs. However, having the money for transportation doesn't automatically mean everything is settled," Mr. Dung said.

Source link: https://dantri.com.vn/lao-dong-viec-lam/tai-tro-chi-phi-giai-cuu-2-ca-the-voi-o-cong-vien-thu-le-20230814132211727.htm