Tuskers saved from death convalesce in Central Highlands sanctuary

Gold (L) and Jun, still growing, were rescued five years ago by the staff of an elephant rescue center with the Yok Don National Park in Krong Na Commune, Buon Don District, Dak Lak Province. Gold weighs 850 kilos and Jun, 1,485 kilos. They are cared for by two vets.

Every morning, the vets cut leaves and tall grasses to feed the two elephants that are enclosed in two different areas with an electric fence. The fence is installed to protect the caregivers from unexpected behavior of the two tuskers and to prevent intruders from harming them. The tuskers’ daily diet also include rice, fruits, vegetables, apart from supplements given, depending on their health condition.

Gold was rescued on March 28, 2016 after falling into a well inside the park. He was around four months old then. Phan Phu, 30, who has taken care of Gold since his rescue, said after he was rescued, Gold was released back into the wild but could not live on his own. The center has had experts from the Animals Asia Foundation, a Hong Kong-based charity that seeks to end cruelty to animals in Asia, come and take care of him mentally and physically. "He was sent back into the wild another three times, but none succeeded."

For the first two years, Gold was fed on formula milk. It took a lot of effort to take care of him because he demanded to be fed frequently. He has been weaned off the formula for the past two years.

Late last year, Gold’s tusks were broken in a fight with Jun. For months, the doctors have had to disinfect the wound around four times per day to ensure that the marrow will not be infected.

Jun was found injured on February 19, 2015, stuck in a trap laid by poachers. At that time, he was around four years old. His left leg in the front and his trunk were injured.

His trunk injury has healed, but the leg wound remains serious. Until today, the vets have to frequently wash the wound, remove gangrene-infected areas and apply medication.

The caregivers keep a close eye on both elephants, always on the lookout for any changes in their behavior.

They also try to train the two animals in the habits of wild elephants. One "lesson" involves putting honey, pepper, cinnamon or anise on big trees for them to discover these treats by themselves.

Quan, the caregiver, makes notes on everything he has observed about the two pachyderms at the end of every working day. The number of wild elephants in Vietnam has dropped from 1,500-2,000 in 1990s to 124-148 currently and most of them live in the central and Central Highlands regions.
Dak Lak is home to most wild elephants in the country. The province now has around five elephant herds, numbering around 80 in total, with the smallest having 5-10 members and the largest, 32-36. Most of them live in an area of 173,000 hectares of the Yok Don park. Another 38 elephants are raised by locals in the province.