A Memorandum of Understanding was inked on December 15 between the Dak Lak Provincial People’s Committee and the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) on the development of an elephant-friendly tourism model in Dak Lak Province
Delegates at the signing ceremony (Photo: VNA)
Accordingly, Dak Lak Province commits to ending activities with negative impacts on the safety and welfare of elephants, including elephant rides, competitions for elephants, hour-long elephant marches, and the use of elephants in scenes recreating the hunting and taming of elephants.
The provincial People's Committee will create most favourable conditions for AFF’s activities in accordance with the law while supporting AFF’s proposals and recommendations of in elephant conservation with regard to local customs and practices as well as conditions on the management and care of elephants in the province.
Meanwhile, the AAF is responsible for mobilising legal resources to provide technical and financial support to benefit elephants and households that earn a living from elephant riding by transitioning to the environmentally friendly tourism model.
The MOU provides an important basis for ending elephant riding for tourists in Dak Lak Province.
Since 2018, the AAF has funded 65,000 USD for a project on supporting the transition towards elephant watching tourism at Yok Don National Park in Dak Lak Province.
The foundation has also sent experts and staff to develop and maintain the alternative model and work to promote the new approach to elephant tourism in the national park to the international community.