Animals Asia rescues elephant after supporting venue to end elephant riding

Animals Asia is delighted to share the news that we have just welcomed another elephant to the herd at our ethical elephant tourism program at Yok Don National Park, Vietnam.

Ta Nuon is a 40 year old female elephant who, for the majority of her life, was forced to give rides to paying tourists at Cau Treo, a tourism camp in the Central Highlands.

Ta Nuon was likely taken from her family in the wild as a young calf and ‘trained’ to take orders from humans.

A move towards ethical tourism

Cau Treo is a privately owned facility that started using elephants for riding tourism in 1994.

Dave Neale, Animals Asia’s Captive Animal Welfare Director and his team have been working with the venue for many years to “support them to move away from elephant riding, which we know causes elephants physical and psychological suffering.”

He continued,

“Our team has demonstrated ethical alternatives through our own elephant tourism program in Yok Don National Park, and we’re pleased to announce that Cau Treo has agreed to end the practice of elephant riding at their venue.”

Animals Asia’s ethical elephant project

In 2018 Animals Asia signed an historic agreement with the government of the Dak Lak province - which had the largest number of riding elephants in Vietnam - to end elephant riding for good.

Since then, we’ve worked with the local community to rescue 14 elephants, 11 of which live currently at Yok Don National Park. Here, supported and cared for by their mahouts, they are free to roam, while tourists observe them in their natural habitat from a respectful distance.

Ta Nuon’s new beginning

Ta Nuon is slowly being introduced to her new way of life. It may take her some time to realise that she no longer has to work and that she is free to roam, to bathe, to rest, and play as she pleases.

But once she is ready, she will be introduced to the other elephants and hopefully, she will find her very first friend.

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