ecc proposal
DESCRIPTION
ECC proposalTRANSCRIPT
in partnership with
Presentation
LAO ELEPHANT SANCTUARY& ELEFANTASIA PROGRAMME
Shelter for pregnant cows and calves
National Breeding Programme
Medically-assisted reproduction
NURSERY
TRAINING
Professional Mahout School
Vet Care Programme for mahouts and provision of First Aid Kits
Vet training sessions for students and civil servants
Elephant reconversion and creation of new income for mahouts
Revenue raising for conservation activities
Treks; elephant discovery & mahout training
Elephant Museum
TOURISM
Elephant Hospital
Mobile Veterinary Clinic (emergency)
National registration & vaccination programme
Scienti�c Research Unit & Laboratory
RESEARCH & CARE UNIT
S a
v i n g L a o s ’ last elephants
TO CARE AND PROTECT TRAIN & EDUCATE
INCREASE BIRTH RATE
ENSURE FINANCIAL AUTONOMY
3
Project’s history
The Elephant Sanctuary Co. was established in 2010 by ElefantAsia1 founders Sebastien Duffillot & Gilles Maurer and Green Discovery2 founder, Inthy Deuansavan.
ElefantAsia is a France-based conservation group registered in 2001. The objective of ElefantAsia is to protect the remaining elephant population of Laos, formerly known as “The Land of a Million Elephants”.
Since 2005, ElefantAsia runs the “Lao Elephant Care and Management Programme” in cooperation with the Department of Livestock & Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture of Laos. ElefantAsia employs 10 persons in Laos. In 2012, ElefantAsia completed their 1500th veterinary care visit and had achieved the registration and microchipping over 400 elephants.
ElefantAsia operates in 3 provinces of Laos: Sayaboury, Champassak and Vientiane. In addition to its Veterinary Unit, ElefantAsia is also involved in the production of Environmental Education material and organises the popular Elephant Festival3 every year. In 2012, the Elephant Festival attracted over 150.000 visitors to Sayaboury making it the biggest tourist attraction in the province.
In 2006, Inthy Deuansavan, Sebastien Duffillot and Gilles Maurer entered a first partnership for the creation of an upmarket elephant trekking service branded “Elephant Adventures”4. In 2010, all three partners decided to jointly invest in the creation of the first Elephant Conservation Center of Laos. The Elephant Sanctuary Co. (corporate name) was registered as a joint venture in Sayaboury and work started on the banks of the Nam Tien Lake. In October 2011, the Elephant Conservation Center5 opened its doors to the public.
The expertise and reputation of ElefantAsia together with the know-how of Green Discovery founder and the tourism development potential in Sayaboury provide a positive context for implementing this new venture.
1 http:// www.elefantasia.org2 http://www.greendiscoverylaos.com3 http:// www.laoelephantfestival.com4 http:// www.elephantadventures.com5 http:// www.elephantconservationcenter.com
4
Context
Laos is historically known as “The Land of a Million elephants”. Today Laos is home to no more than a mere 800 pachyderms. The largest terrestrial mammal and a major component of Laotian cultural heritage, the Asian elephant is under threat of extinction. Throughout the Asian continent wild elephant populations are threatened because of habitat loss and poaching. Domesticated elephants are often overworked and too tired to reproduce. Population forecasts of Laos’ elephants are grim.
If trends continue it is likely that Asian elephants will be extinct in Laos within 30 years. The future also remains bleak for the many mahouts and communities that live and work with elephants. Over 10,000 people depend on the revenue generated by the 450 domesticated elephants working in Laos.
The Elephant Conservation Center intends to supply alternative forms of income to mahouts and communities through the reconversion of logging elephants into ecotourism. Ecotourism is an environmentally friendly method of sustainable employment and poverty reduction for mahouts and their communities.
The creation of employment for mahouts at the Center in Sayaboury District allows income to be directly injected into the local economy through the provision of accommodation, food, goods and services. These services will all provide jobs for local community members of Sayaboury. The Elephant Conservation Center is NOT a tourist elephant camp. It is a fully staffed and equipped conservation facility providing educational, veterinary and ecotourism services.
Our Project
y Develop a profitable tourism business; y Develop tourism in Sayaboury province; y Reconvert logging elephants into fair and environmentally friendly ecotourism;
y Encourage natality by managing an elephant nursery; y Host ElefantAsia’s veterinary & conservation programmes; y Provide information on elephants to the public; y Protect an endangered species; y Ensure a sustainable income to mahout families; y Protect ancestral cultures and knowledges and a rich tropical ecosystem. y Support an environmentally friendly and fair business approach;
5
Our difference
The Elephant Conservation Center is NOT an elephant camp. It is much more than that! Our concept is to bring tourists to the elephants and not elephants to tourists. Indeed all elephants currently working in Luang Prabang tourist camps were bought from Sayaboury.
We believe conditions in small, town-based camps cannot be ideal habitat for elephants. The food supply, diet, veterinary care and workloads are generally not meeting the standards of basic elephant needs in such camps.
The location of the Elephant Conservation Center in the Nam Tien Protected Area allows elephants to roam their traditional environment and feed on natural forest foods with any supplements purchased from local growers.
Besides providing the best quality and quantity in food and space requirements, the Elephant Conservation Center is unique in having the elephant conservation organization, ElefantAsia permanently based on site. With a decade of professional elephant care and practice in Laos, ElefantAsia brings a wealth of qualifications and credentials to the conservation center.
Elephant Conservation Center services
The Elephant Conservation Center caters to a diverse range of clients including international and national tourists. Attractions at the Center include elephant grooming, feeding, bathing and a Mahout School.
Guests participating in the Ecovolunteering package experience life as a Lao mahout from a week to a month. Life at the Mahout School aims to be simple; living, cooking and learning the ancient art of the mahout with all visitors having their own elephant to train with. Visitors to the Elephant Conservation Center are offered 4 options:
- Day trips; - Two days / one night stays - Three days / two nights stays;- Six day / five night Eco-volunterring.
We are aiming at a diversified clientele. International tourists (groups & individuals), regional tourists (especially from Thailand), foreign residents in Laos, Lao families, schoolchildren (study tours)...
The service that we propose is an encounter with the sacred animal of Laos in an authentic cultural and natural environment6.
6 See commercial brochure in appendices
6
Our service is not “exclusive” but popular and affordable. In terms of quality, this translates into simple but solid buildings produced according to local designs and construction standards using local materials such as wood. While offering simple comfort and basic facilities in the first construction phase (2011-2012), the Conservation Center will be able to develop new markets by improving standards of buildings planned during the second phase (2013).
The Elephant Conservation Center - through its elephant hospital - also offers local and international veterinarians, researchers, and university students the chance to gain hands-on, practical training with Asian elephants. Extended stays by schools and universities are offered on demand.
Sayaboury
Statistics by the Lao National Tourism Administration indicate over 1.7 million international tourists visited Laos in 2008. The Sayaboury Province is a region of Lao PDR experiencing a surge in national and international tourists. This province is becoming internationally renowned due to the annual Elephant Festival held in the province every February. Sayaboury is known to be the greatest province in Lao PDR where domesticated elephants can be seen and experienced living in their traditional surrounds. Asian elephants are categorically the niche market of the Sayaboury Province7, with no other tourism ventures currently undertaken in the region.
Over the coming few years, Sayaboury will benefit from the ADB Tourism Development Programme (infrastructures, marketing...) that will boost the provincial tourism sector and bring Sayaboury even closer to Luang Prabang, the cultural and tourist hot spot of Laos, which already shows signs of saturation. Indeed, there is a growing interest from tourists and tourism professionals alike for destinations that can be combined with a tour to Luang Prabang. Current ongoing infrastructure development plan includes:
• Renovation of the Luang Prabang – Sayaboury road;• Construction of a bridge over the Mekong linking Luang Prabang and
Sayaboury provinces;• Construction of a new Kasi – Sayaboury road;• Renovation of the Sayaboury – Paklay – Kenthao – (Thailand) road;• Construction of a new airport in Sayaboury...
GIZ and the Lao National Tourism Administration have made Sayaboury one of the target provinces for their national tourism development plan8.
7 Sayaboury is home to 390 elephants (75% of the national stock)8 http://www.stdplaos.com/web-based/visiter_information/province_inlaos/sayabouly/sayabouly.html.
7
The Site
The site of the Elephant Conservation Center is located on the banks of the Nam Tien lake 8 km from downtown Sayaboury and only 2,5 hours from Luang Prabang by road. The site is a provincial-level protected area consisting of a large artificial lake with many islands, bordered by hilly terrain with dense vegetation and the Phou Xang mountain chain visible on the East. The Conservation Center has been granted a 106 hectares concession (20 years renewable).
Built infrastructure occupy a 6 hectares strip of land located on the banks of the lake. The remaining forest area is used to house the elephants and undertake outdoor activities. Access to the site can be by either boat or car.
The Environment
The Elephant Conservation Center is built using international standards of environmental and clearing policies. We ensure vegetation connectivity is maintained and factors associated with clearing are minimal.
Local and sustainable materials are used in the construction, with energy efficient forms of power generation (solar) and waste management applied. The Elephant Conservation Center is a model ecotourism project in Laos.
Center’s Activities
• Reception and accommodation;• Trekking: bareback riding only! and walking with elephants;• Elephant Hospital and Nursery guided tours;• Visit of the Elephant Museum;• Elephant feeding;• Elephant bathing;• Elephant observation and photo safari;• Elephant handling demonstration;• Learning how to mount, dismount and ride an elephant;• Visit of the botanical gardens and botanical forest trek;• Elephant dung paper factory;• Souvenir & gift shop;• Food and beverages;• Lao cooking school;• Traditional Lao massage;• Lake activities – canoeing, swimming...
8
StaffThree categories of personnel are working at the Conservation Center. Elephant mahouts, veterinary and hospital workers and hospitality/tourism staff. Each of the three departments have a manager that reports to the Center’s General Manager.
MahoutsEach elephant working at the camp has one or two mahouts living on site. Mahouts working at the Center are experienced mahouts with a long standing tradition of elephant handling. They are overseen by the Mahout Chief for any matters related to their employment or elephants.
Veterinary Unit / LabStaff employed at the elephant hospital are both Lao and foreign staff. The hospital is managed by ElefantAsia with no cost supported by the the Center apart from the Chief Vet’s salary. Foreign veterinarians and researchers join the hospital for medium/long term internships.
Hospitality / TourismStaff in charge of hospitality at the Center include guides, housekeepers, cooks, drivers, gardeners and maintenance personnel.
BuildingThe land available for construction is approximately 6 hectares. Work began on site in December 2010
PHASE 1 - COMPLETED - (2011):
y 1 Road (3,5 km); y Maintenance storage room (Gardener, carpenter...); y 1 Dormitory (with 5 partitioned double rooms); y 9 huts (double & twins); y 1 Museum/reception/gift shop; y 1 Restaurant & kitchen (30 seats + WC); y 1 Panoramic Sala; y 2 Amenities (showers & WC); y 1 Elephant Hospital and treatment area; y 1 Mahouts Training Center; y 1 Enclosure for pregnant elephants, young mothers & babies (nursery); y 1 Reproduction area with electric fencing; y Elephant Yard; y Elephant Saddlery; y Feeding trays and drinking troughs; y Stairs & platforms to climb on the elephants; y Staff lodging; y Boat pier + boat;
9
Power
y Power system combines solar and diesel generator to regulate con-sumption peaks.
Water
y Water supply system; y Waste management system;
Transportation
y 1 Land Cruiser S78 car; y 2 motorbikes; y 1 Boat (15-20 Pax); y 1 traditional canoe with engine;
Administration & sales
y 1 Office/Administration (rented house downtown Sayaboury);
PHASE 2 - (2012-2013):
y 1 Guest House (6 double rooms w/ bathrooms + 1 office space). See architecture project overleaf.
y 2 Observation Towers; y Technical storage room (laundry, storage, maintenance)
Power
y Solar systems;
Transportation
y Minivan 12 seater;
Administration & sales
y 1 Sales office in Luang Prabang
Echelle: 1/100 ème
Plan du RdC
2120
1420
CHAMBRELit double
18,4 m2
CHAMBRELit double
18,4 m2
CHAMBRE 2 Lits simples
19,8 m2
CHAMBRE 2 Lits simples
19,8 m2
CHAMBREFamiliale26,2 m2
CHAMBREFamiliale26,2 m2
TERRASSE52 m2
400 20 400 20 840
2029
520
295
20
140 20 670 20 120 20 890 20 200
100
195
2019
510
020
650
120
140
2026
010
010
9020
120
PROJET N°
PHASE
APSListes des pièces graphiques:
PLAN DE MASSESOMMAIRE
PLAN RDC
FACADES
COUPE AA
DESSINE LE
MARS 2012
PROJET DE CONSTRUCTION D'UN GUEST HOUSE SANCTURAIRE DES ELEPHANTS
Maître d'Ouvrage:
Titulaire principal:ELEPHANT ASIAVIENTIANE
Master Plan
Master Plan
Satellite Images
Location
CHINA
RDP LAOS
VIETNAM
THAILAND
BURMA
CAMBODIA
Paklay
Hongsa
PROVINCEDE SAYABOURY
Luang Prabang
Sayaboury
Vientiane
Nongkhai
Xieng Ngeun
RN13
Comment se rendre à Sayaboury ?
CHINA
RDP LAOS
VIETNAM
THAILAND
BURMA
CAMBODIA
Paklay
Hongsa
PROVINCEDE SAYABOURY
Luang Prabang
Sayaboury
Vientiane
Nongkhai
Xieng Ngeun
RN13
Comment se rendre à Sayaboury ?
LAC DE RETENUE NAM TIEN
SAYABOURY
106 Ha Concession
Aerial View
106 Ha Concession
ElephantConservation Center
Aerial View
Panoramas
Lakeview Bungalows
Dormitory
Dormitory
Restaurant & bar Elephant Museum
Restaurant & bar Elephant Museum
The Elephants Yard
The Elephants Yard
Forest Hikes
Elephants Bath
Elephant Nursery
Elephant Hospital Complex
Team Work
Family affair
Nam Tien Lake
Joyful...peaceful
Natural Feeling
How
to
get
ther
e?
From
Lua
ng P
raba
ng:
Dri
ve s
outh
alo
ng t
he N
13 S
outh
Roa
d. A
t ar
ound
30
km,
in B
an
Xien
g N
geun
, tu
rn r
ight
to
Saya
bour
y. A
fter
abo
ut 1
.5 h
ours
, bo
ard
the
ferr
y to
Say
abou
ry p
rovi
nce.
The
re,
you
are
only
30
min
utes
aw
ay fr
om d
ownt
own
Saya
bour
y. C
all u
s on
arr
ival
!
From
Vie
ntia
ne:
Dri
ve n
orth
alo
ng t
he M
ekon
g Ri
ver
(tur
n le
ft a
fter
Wat
tay
Air
port
in
Ban
Sik
hay)
to
the
cros
sroa
ds ju
st b
efor
e Sa
nakh
am. T
here
, tur
n ri
ght
to P
akla
y. O
nce
you
have
rea
ched
the
end
of
the
road
, boa
rd
the
ferr
y to
Pak
lay.
Get
ting
to P
akla
y ta
kes
appr
oxim
atel
y 4
to 5
ho
urs
depe
ndin
g on
road
con
ditio
ns. O
nce
in P
akla
y, c
ontin
ue n
orth
to
Say
abou
ry (
3 ho
ur d
rive
). F
light
s ar
e al
so a
vaila
ble
twic
e a
wee
k (T
uesd
ay a
nd F
rida
y m
orni
ngs)
from
Vie
ntia
ne to
Say
abou
ry.
Nam
Tie
n La
ke, S
ayab
oury
Dis
tric
tSa
yabo
ury
Prov
ince
, Lao
PD
R
info
@el
epha
ntco
nser
vati
once
nter
.com
ww
w.e
leph
antc
onse
rvat
ionc
ente
r.com
Tel:
+856
-(0)
20-2
3 02
52
10 /
+85
6-(0
)20
96 5
9 06
65
Saya
bour
ySa
yabo
ury
Get
read
y fo
r to
tal
imm
ersi
on in
to t
he w
orld
of
Lao
ele
phan
ts a
t th
e on
ly c
onse
rvat
ion
faci
lity
enti
rely
ded
icat
ed t
o th
e sa
cred
gi
ants
of
Lane
Xan
g, t
he “
Land
of
a M
illio
n El
epha
nts”
. Es
tabl
ishe
d in
par
tner
ship
wit
h El
efan
tAsi
a co
nser
vati
on
grou
p,
the
El-
epha
nt C
onse
rvat
ion
Cent
er w
ill
offe
r yo
u th
e ex
peri
ence
of
a lif
e-ti
me.
..
The
stun
ning
la
nd-
scap
e m
akes
for
a p
erfe
ct
natu
ral r
etre
at. C
ruis
e on
the
la
ke o
n a
bam
boo
raft
, exp
lore
th
e ju
ngle
or
sim
ply
sit
on a
vi
ewin
g pl
atfo
rm a
nd o
bser
ve
baby
ele
phan
ts a
s th
ey g
raze
an
d so
cial
ize!
The
Cen
ter
will
gi
ve y
ou a
tas
te o
f La
os y
ou
will
nev
er fo
rget
. As
calm
and
be
autif
ul a
s th
e el
epha
nts,
the
Elep
hant
Con
serv
atio
n Ce
nter
is
ab
ove
all
a pl
ace
whe
re
YOU
ca
n m
ake
a di
ffer
ence
w
ith y
our
visi
t. Co
me
mee
t th
e el
epha
nts
in t
heir
nat
ural
hab
itat
...
...Co
me
mee
t th
em a
t ho
me.
Photos by Paul Wager © 2007, 2008, Mike Larder © 2008, Luke Duggleby © 2009, Lui Correira © 2009
Thro
ugh
the
mis
t of
daw
n, t
hey
appe
ar, g
iant
m
onot
one
silh
ouet
tes
rolli
ng s
low
ly f
rom
th
e ju
ngle
to
war
ds
the
smok
y la
ke.
One
by
one,
the
y en
ter
the
tran
quil
wat
ers
of t
he N
am T
ien
to b
athe
. Le
isur
ely,
th
ey
are
join
ed
by
othe
r m
embe
rs
of
the
herd
, th
is g
entl
e pr
oces
sion
’s si
lenc
e br
oken
onl
y by
the
dis
tant
sou
nd
of t
he c
alve
s tr
umpe
ting
. W
elco
me
to
the
Elep
hant
Co
nser
vati
on
Cent
er.
A j
ungl
e hi
deaw
ay h
osti
ng E
lefa
ntA
sia’
s in
nova
tive
ele
phan
t nu
rser
y an
d ho
spit
al.
The
Cent
er h
as b
een
esta
blis
hed
in t
he p
rist
ine
prov
ince
of
Say
abou
ry, h
omel
and
to o
ver
360
regi
ster
ed d
omes
-ti
cate
d el
epha
nts
and
the
seco
nd l
arge
st p
opul
atio
n of
wild
ele
phan
ts i
n La
os.
Set
in a
for
este
d pe
nins
ula
bank
ing
the
brea
thta
king
Nam
Tie
n la
ke,
the
Cent
er
offe
rs
a w
ide
rang
e of
ac
tivi
ties
ta
king
yo
u up
cl
ose
with
the
maj
esti
c el
epha
nts
and
thei
r of
fspr
ing.
Our
ra
nge
of
faci
litie
s ca
n ac
com
mod
ate
your
sta
y fr
om
a
day
up to
a m
onth
. So
, co
me
expe
rien
ce
the
“Way
of
the
Mah
out”
.
in p
artn
ersh
ip w
ith
Ele
ph
an
t N
urs
ery
, S
ay
ab
ou
ry,
Lao
s
Join
us
on F
aceb
ook
& Tw
itte
r:FB
: ele
phan
t co
nser
vati
on c
ente
rTw
itte
r: la
osel
epha
ntCC
100%
Recy
cled
Pap
er.
Prin
ted
with
soy
ink
Bro
chur
e
The
Cent
er
The
Elep
hant
Co
nser
vatio
n Ce
nter
is su
ppor
ted
by E
lefa
nt-
Asi
a no
n-pr
ofit
ass
ocia
tion
.Fo
r m
ore
info
rmat
ion
on t
he
wor
k El
efan
tAsi
a un
dert
akes
at
the
Cen
ter,
chec
k ou
t:
ww
w.e
lefa
ntas
ia.o
rg
Com
e jo
in o
ur in
tern
atio
nal t
eam
and
con
serv
e th
e el
epha
nts
of L
aos.
The
Cent
er w
elco
mes
vol
unte
ers
of a
ll ag
es, o
ur o
nly
requ
irem
ent
is c
omm
itm
ent!
Wor
king
alo
ngsi
de e
leph
ants
is h
ighl
y de
man
ding
an
d w
e w
ill n
eed
the
very
bes
t of
you
r im
agin
atio
n, s
kills
and
pe
rson
alit
y. I
n re
turn
, w
e w
ill g
uara
ntee
tha
t no
oth
er p
lace
in
Laos
will
off
er y
ou s
uch
an o
ppor
tuni
ty a
s th
e Ce
nter
for
han
ds o
n ex
peri
ence
, lea
rnin
g an
d fu
n.
Long
ter
m v
olun
teer
ing
incl
udes
mea
ls a
nd a
ccom
mod
atio
n.
See
our
web
site
for
furt
her
deta
ils o
r co
ntac
t us
thr
ough
our
volu
ntee
r bo
okin
g fo
rm.
How
we
are
diff
eren
t?
•Ra
ther
tha
n ta
king
ele
phan
ts f
rom
the
ir n
atur
al h
ome
into
ur
ban
tour
ist
area
s, w
e ta
ke Y
OU
to
THEM
, in
thei
r un
dist
urbe
d na
tura
l env
iron
men
t;
•El
epha
nts
at t
he C
ente
r ar
e he
re t
o re
st, e
ithe
r w
aiti
ng t
o gi
ve
birt
h or
rec
over
ing
from
an
exha
usti
ng l
ife in
log
ging
or
mas
s to
uris
m in
dust
ries
. D
o N
OT
expe
ct t
o se
e pa
ckag
e to
urs
ridi
ng
our
elep
hant
s al
l day
long
!
•Th
e m
oney
you
pay
not
onl
y su
stai
ns t
he C
ente
r an
d it
s re
side
nts.
But
5%
is
repa
id t
o el
epha
nt c
onse
rvat
ion
proj
ects
in
Lao
s. W
e ar
e th
e on
ly c
ompa
ny in
Lao
s to
fun
d co
nser
vati
on
acti
on f
or A
LL e
leph
ants
acr
oss
the
coun
try;
•O
ur e
leph
ants
inha
bit
106h
a of
pro
tect
ed f
ores
t pr
ovid
ing
suf-
fici
ent
quan
tity
and
var
iety
of
natu
ral f
odde
r;
•Th
e Ce
nter
’s el
epha
nt
wel
fare
po
licy
is
impl
emen
ted
by
Elef
antA
sia;
•O
ur e
leph
ant
hosp
ital &
nur
sery
are
sta
ffed
by
prof
essi
onal
vet
s;
•O
ur f
acili
ties
are
eco
logi
cally
fri
endl
y ut
ilisi
ng s
olar
pow
er a
nd
wat
er f
rom
the
lake
whi
ch w
e fi
lter
. We
prod
uce
elep
hant
dun
g pa
per
and
our
broc
hure
s ar
e pr
oduc
ed u
sing
rec
ycle
d pa
per.
To
redu
ce t
he u
se o
f new
bui
ldin
g m
ater
ials
, our
infr
astr
uctu
re u
ses
old
trad
itio
nal L
ao h
ouse
s re
loca
ted
to t
he C
ente
r;
•O
vera
ll t
he C
ente
r is
a p
lace
of
lear
ning
.
Not
just
ano
ther
ele
phan
t ca
mp.
..
Be t
he d
iffe
renc
e!
1 D
AY V
ISIT
Fro
m S
ayab
oury
Com
e, b
e a
part
of
elep
hant
con
serv
atio
n in
Lao
s. D
epar
ting
ea
rly
mor
ning
fro
m y
our
gues
thou
se i
n Sa
yabo
ury,
you
r da
y vi
sit
will
beg
in w
ith
a gu
ided
tour
of
the
Cent
er, l
earn
ing
abou
t th
e co
nser
vati
on p
roje
cts
unde
rtak
en b
y ou
r te
am o
f ex
pert
s.
Then
you
will
att
end
the
elep
hant
s’ b
reak
fast
. A
fter
lun
ch a
t ou
r re
stau
rant
, you
will
hav
e op
port
unit
y to
join
the
mah
outs
an
d el
epha
nts
on t
heir
dai
ly w
alk
in t
he s
urro
undi
ng f
ores
t.
Dep
artu
re i
s fr
om t
he p
ier,
whe
re o
ur b
oat
will
tak
e yo
u fo
r a
shor
t cr
uise
on
the
Nam
Tie
n la
ke,
but
not
befo
re o
bser
ving
pl
ayfu
l ele
phan
ts e
njoy
ing
an a
fter
noon
bat
he.
Tran
spor
tati
on a
nd lu
nch
are
incl
uded
.
2 D
AY V
ISIT
Fro
m L
uang
Pra
bang
In a
dditi
on t
o th
e ab
ove
activ
ities
inc
lude
d in
1 D
ay V
isit,
you
w
ill h
ave
the
chan
ce t
o m
eet
the
vete
rina
ry t
eam
who
will
ac
com
pany
you
aro
und
the
hosp
ital
and
nurs
ery.
Tak
e th
e op
port
unity
to
feel
clo
ser
to t
he e
leph
ants
by
join
ing
them
and
th
eir
mah
outs
in
the
fore
st t
o pa
rtak
e in
the
ir m
orni
ng r
itual
. A
s yo
u st
roll
toge
ther
with
the
se m
agni
ficie
nt c
reat
ures
into
the
de
nse
fore
st o
f N
am T
ien,
tak
e a
mom
ent!
Thi
s is
the
REA
L la
nd
of e
leph
ants
! Fe
edin
g, g
room
ing
and
bath
ing
are
amon
g th
e ac
tiviti
es t
hat
you
will
und
erta
ke, c
ompl
eted
by
a th
orou
gh v
isit
of
the
mus
eum
. A
n as
sess
men
t re
latin
g to
you
r kn
owle
dge
of
the
elep
hant
and
ski
lls le
arnt
will
com
plet
e yo
ur b
asic
mah
out
trai
ning
!
Tran
spor
tatio
n, m
eals
& a
ccom
mod
atio
n ar
e in
clud
ed.
6 D
AY E
CO V
OLU
NTE
ERIN
GFr
om S
ayab
oury
This
pac
kage
is y
our
gate
way
to t
he E
leph
ant
Wor
ld! D
urin
g th
e w
eek,
you
will
sha
re t
he l
ife o
f a
mah
out
and
lear
n th
e ba
sics
of
thi
s ce
ntur
ies-
old
craf
t. A
ctiv
ities
inc
lude
sup
port
wor
k at
th
e Ce
nter
and
hos
pita
l; fe
edin
g th
e el
epha
nts;
ass
isti
ng t
he
mah
outs
in
all
the
phas
es o
f th
eir
wor
king
day
. A
n in
-dep
th
enco
unte
r w
ith t
he G
iant
s of
Lao
s.
Tran
spor
tati
on, m
eals
& a
ccom
mod
atio
n ar
e in
clud
ed.
Book
NO
W o
n w
ww
.ele
phan
tcon
serv
atio
ncen
ter.c
om
Founders
Mr. Inthy Deuansavan
From humble beginnings Mr. Inthy Deuansavan’s life has been a ‘bona fide rags to riches’ story. Born in a cave during the Lao revolution some 40 years ago, Inthy moved from the Huaphan Province and was raised in Vientiane. A natural hard worker, Inthy’s first job was selling cigarettes door to door as a young boy. Recognizing Inthy’s entrepreneurial potential, his father, a famous Lao novelist, spent his life savings ensuring Inthy re-ceived the best educational opportunities available. Such op-portunities lead Inthy to the former USSR where he received his degree in Statistics from the University of Moscow. After completing his studies, Inthy returned to Laos and under-took his first and still highly successful enterprise, the famous Vi-entiane restaurant Khop Chai Deu. This restaurant is one of the most well-known and popular meeting points for both foreigners and locals alike. Still keen to expand his knowledge and passion for innovation, Inthy co-founded Wildside, a whitewater rafting and kayaking company, in 2000. It was through Wildside that In-thy developed his fervor for the tourism industry, and soon be-gun to run his own travel company.
Inthy independently launched what is now regarded as the leading eco-tourism and adventure travel specialist tour operator in Laos: Green Discovery Laos. Starting with just one office in the Vientiane capital, Green Discov-ery now has seven offices in six provinces in northern, central and southern Laos. Offering treks, elephant rides, kayaking, home-stay, motorbike tours and more, Green Discovery has everything to cater for any visitor’s needs in Laos.
While many people would settle down after reaching this degree of success, Inthy still has a multitude of ideas for innovative products to instigate. He continues to open more unique restaurants, and developed a chain of high-end boutique hotels. Named after his eldest daughter, the Inthira Group calls now four hotels in different cities throughout Laos its own. Always on the move, Inthy is right now in the process of realizing his dream of the ‘ultimate resort’ in southern Laos. This resort endeavors to include quality tree house accommodation with zip-line adventures, while still maintaining the beauty and tranquility of Laos plus the superior hospitality that Inthy’s companies are renowned for.
More than just a businessman, Inthy has ensured all of his companies strictly abide by their social, cultural and environmental responsibility. This excellence in tourism was demonstrated when Inthy was elected as a member to the Board of the Lao Tourism Association in 2008.
Far from his first job as a cigarette vendor, Inthy now presides over his conglomerate of Lao-based companies and more than 300 Lao people are directly employed in this group he created. The future? One thing is for certain: Inthy will not rest and certainly continue to be a champion in providing innovative tourism and hospitality services to clients from all over the world visiting the Lao PDR.
MM. Sébastien Duffillot and Gilles Maurer
Sebastien Duffillot and Gilles Maurer founded the charity group ElefantAsia back in 2001. In 2002 the two frenchmen organized a 1,300 km long journey on el-ephant back across Laos, the former ‘Land of a Million Elephant’.
This ‘Elephant Caravan’, as the public knows it, received strong media cover-age in France and Asia and led the two partners to seek funds for the imple-mentation of a nation-wide elephant conservation programme.
Since 2005, ElefantAsia has opened an of-fice at the National Animal Health center
(Department of Livestock & Fisheries). The charity now employs over ten people, mainly vets, who undertake registration of all domesticated elephants of Laos, provide on-site training to their mahouts and provides free veterinay care to the 450 or so working elephants of Laos.
In order to invert the trend that is leading Lao elephants to extinction, Gilles and Sebastien have created innova-tive new conservation solutions ranging from Baby Bonuses for pregnant elephant owners to the organisation of the now famous ‘Lao Elephant Festival’ which pays tribute to the national animal emblem of Laos every year in the sayaboury province.
ElefantAsia has since then grown in stature and is now recognized worldwide as one of the leading elephant conservation groups with in-situ operations in Asia. Partnering with Thai elephant conservationists and building a network of partners in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, ElefantAsia is becoming one of the main actors in the field of elephant conservation in SouthEast Asia.
With several international media broadcasting documentaries on the work undertaken by ElefantAsia in Laos (BBC, Animal Planet, all major French TV channels) and an outstanding number of publications in international newspapers and magazines (Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, le Monde etc...), the media buzz generated by the non-profit is now serving the latest, and most elephantine - project of the team: the first-ever Elephant Sanctuary of Laos.
This new venture is aiming at offering a shelter to pregnant cow elephants and their offsrping when they are born, while providing all working elephants of the Sayaboury province with a state-of-the-art elephant hospital capable of treating patologies that the current mobile clinics are unable to handle while working in logging camps.
Lao Elephant Sanctuary Co. Ltd.Nam Tien Protected Area
Sayaboury, Lao PDR
Tel: + 856-30-9471308Mob: +856-20-96590665
Email: [email protected]@elephantconservationcenter.com
www.elephantconservationcenter.com
Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g2642380-d2624675-Reviews-Elephant_Conservation_Center-Sayaboury.html
Facebook: elephant conservation center
Twitter: laoselephantCC
ECC online resources:
• Presentation document of the ECC:
http://issuu.com/sebduf/docs/presentation_ecc_2012?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222
• ECC Rate Card 2012-2013:
http://issuu.com/sebduf/docs/rate_card_ecc_2012_2013?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222
• Elephant Conservation Center official Website: http://www.elephantconservationcenter.com/index.php
• ECC Brochure: http://issuu.com/sebduf/docs/brochure_ecc_new?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222
• ECC Trip Advisor page: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g2642380-d2624675-Reviews-Elephant_Con-
servation_Center-Sayaboury.html
• ECC Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/elephant-conservation-center/123614824388181
• ECC Youtube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45KPm-m6Mps
Travel Guides & Magazines articles on ECC :
• Lonely Planet travel guide (excerpts):
http://issuu.com/sebduf/docs/lonely_planet?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222
• Le Petit Futé travel guide (excerpts):
http://issuu.com/sebduf/docs/petit_fute?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222
• Magazine Article on ECC (Champa Holidays, Laos) :
http://issuu.com/sebduf/docs/42-45_final?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222
ElefantAsia, Elephant Adventures, Elephant Festival related resources:
• ElefantAsia official website: http://www.elefantasia.org/?lang=en
• ElefantAsia facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ElefantAsia/133225699727
• Elephant Adventures Co. website: http://www.elephantadventures.com/
• Elephant Adventures Co. facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elephant-Adventures/119740024734476
• Lao Elephant Festival website: www.laoelephantfestival.com
• Land of a Million Elephants website: http://www.landofamillionelephants.com.au/
• Land of a Million Elephants (film) Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/landofamillionelephants
• Land of a Million Elephants video link: http://vimeo.com/34489947
• Youtube video of Lao Elephant Festival 2010 in Sayaboury : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mb40zTcyqE