Category — Vietnam

Vietnam plans to auction six tons of elephant tusks smuggled to the country from Tanzania. The ivory was seized by Vietnamese custom officials. Initially the Tanzania government did nothing about the issue but no plans to take action. It is believed that the tusks were enroute to China.

ThisDay

“Every day Y Thoan Nie drives an elephant slowly around the villages of Dak Lak Province in the central highlands.” – Thanh Nien Daily

“A herd of 40 elephants over the past few days destroyed over 30 hectares of crops in Ea R’loi and Ea Lop Village in the Central Highlands province of Dac Lac.” – Viet Nam News

” The Central Highlands province of Dak Lak is the sole location in Vietnam where there remains the tradition of maintaining herds of tame elephants in its districts of Buon Don, Lac, Ea Sup, and Krong Nang. However, the population of tame elephants is sharply falling.” – VietNamNet

“Visitors to the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak should make a side stop to Buon Don (Don Village), famous for its natural beauty and legends of wild elephants.” – Thanh Nien Daily

“The offender, Vu Thanh Thiem, who was caught in the process of admixing the bones to create a type of medicinal glue, said the 231 kilograms of bones came from his younger brother Vu Thanh Tue who had purchased a dead circus elephant.” – Thanh Nien Daily

“Three wild elephants that escaped from Vu Quang national park have been causing concern among hundreds of households in the two communes of Huong Dien and Huong Quang in the central province of Ha Tinh.” – Viet Nam News

“Located between two branches of the Serepok River in the province of Dak Lak, the villagers of Buon Don, also called Ban Don, have per-formed numerous elephant weddings.” – Thanh Nien Daily

“Authorities in a northern Vietnamese province are seeking government permission to shoot a domesticated elephant that has killed two handlers this year, an official said Wednesday. The Forestry Department of Thanh Hoa province sent a request to the Ministry of Agriculture last week asking for the go-ahead to kill the rare Asian elephant, which is more than 30 years old, according to Le Quoc Viet with the department.” – Earth Times

“Quang Nam Central Province?s People?s Committee has asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to approve a plan on the establishment of two new elephant and Sao La deer (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) preservation zones.” – Nhan Dan

“The People?s Committee of Dak Lak Province in the central highlands has approved a VND8.5 billion (US$528,500) project to preserve domesticated elephants in the region.” – Thanh Nien Daily

“However, since 2001, tourism activities in Gia Lai have come to a standstill for many reasons and elephant tours no longer exist.” – VietNamNet Bridge

“A herd of over 20 elephants has been destroying large tracts of paddy and corn fields in Daklak province in Vietnam?s central highlands with authorities unable to find a way to chase the animals away.” – Thanh Nien Daily

“A working elephant beat its owner to death with its trunk in a forest in Vietnam’s remote Central Highlands.” – Sun2Surf

“A tame elephant killed its master Thursday in Daklak province in Vietnam?s central highlands by scooping him up with its trunk and hurling him down.” – Thanh Nien Daily

“A 25-year-old elephant, a beast that has taken part in ritual processions in Hue ancient capital died last Saturday with a water pipe lodged in its gullet, said local authorities Wednesday.” – Thanh Nien Daily

“This is the third time elephants owned by citizens have killed or injured travellers. The previous two times, elephants seriously injured tourists.” – VietNamNet

“A Vietnamese guide has been trampled to death by an elephant he was illegally using to offer rides for tourists.” – ninemsn