Elephant Gold - 'treasure' of the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center

Elephant Gold was adopted by the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center when it was only 2 months old - something unprecedented in Vietnam and even the world is rare, because the survival rate of the adopted elephant is very low.

On March 28, 2016, a 2-month-old male elephant, weighing 100kg, 90cm high, fell into a well at the forest of Chu Ma Lanh Forestry One Member Limited Liability Company (area of ​​Ea Sup upper, Ea Sup district, Dak Lak province). Lak).

People working in the fields discovered elephants in distress, told the Elephant Conservation Center and the company. Conservation expert and district authority Ea Sup came to rescue. Elephants are resuscitated by a veterinarian at the Center, providing nutrition with boxed milk for children under one year of age and helping to reduce panic.

Seeing that elephants are too small, are in the process of feeding, are not able to eat, experts have quickly found her mother. Between the 40 degree Celsius sun in late March and early April of the Central Highlands, in the forest lacking in water and food, domestic and foreign conservationists have been taking care of elephants and tracking their mother's footprints. give it and bring it into the herd.

Elephant Gold is being cared for at the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center.

"For the first time on the afternoon of March 28, 2016, the elephant was brought near the well with the hope that the forest elephants would come back and find it that night. The second and third time, we risked taking it. elephants come close to the herd, but all attempts are unsuccessful, " recalled the veterinarian Nguyen Cong Chung of the Elephant Conservation Center.

After 15 days and nights in the forest but unable to find a mother for elephants, the center staff took it to take care of the semi-wild area in Krong Na commune, Buon Don district. The elephant is named Gold with the hope that all good things will come to it.

According to Dr. Chung, raising "orphaned" elephants is very difficult, and this individual is too small. Until now in Dak Lak in particular and Vietnam in general have never raised any elephants. Therefore, since the rescue up to now, the center staff beside the whole-hearted care also actively learn from the world's leading experts. Even understanding which milk is suitable for Gold takes time.

Now Gold's diet consists of two boxes of milk mixed with coconut water, rice water and complementary food items such as cucumber, apple, banana, sweet potato and grass.

In addition to the time Gold slept at noon, in the evening it is often released to play around freely in the semi-wild area and with employees playing together. When going out to play, Gold loves running and chasing, playing with people. With Gold, caregivers are its relatives, seeing people go where they go.

Elephant Gold plays with conservation experts.(Photo: Asian Animal Organization).

Gold especially likes to go into employees' houses. It's smart, has good memory."When I was young when I saw the door closed, Gold would leave, but now he knows the door is still in the house, so he often uses his head or even knocked on the door," said Dr. Chung.

Over a year of care, Gold is developing well, weighing 250kg (as of March 14, 2017), nearly 130cm high.

Not only Gold, the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Center is also raising another individual, Jun (6 years old, rescued in 2015)."This is considered to be two treasures of the Center, so we are always dedicated to the work, not afraid to be afraid to take care of Gold and Jun together," Chung said.