Malaysian mahouts drafted in to help relocate killer elephant herd

HCM CITY — A team of Malaysian mahouts will arrive in the southern province of Binh Thuan next week to help relocate a herd of wild elephants that have killed 21 people over the last two years and damaging many hectares of crops.

Provincial officials say that the team leader of the Malaysian mahouts, a veterinarian and an anaesthetist have visited both Tanh Linh District that the elephants have been frequenting of late, and their future home in theYok Don National Park in the the central province of Dac Lac.

The Malaysian mahouts, who have reportedly caught more than 400 troublesome elephants world-wide, will ride domesticated elephants while attempting to anaesthetise the wild cousins.

The task of transporting the herd of nine elephants – with one calf, expected to be done in two groups, is difficult and dangerous, experts say.

The anaesthetists must get the dosage just right to allow for the safe transportation of the groggy elephants over 600km of rough road from Tanh Linh District to Yok Don National Park.

The front legs of the drugged but still conscious elephants will be chained. Domesticated elephants will then lead them to the trucks, where they will be given another small dose of anaesthesia, but they must remain conscious enough to able to eat and drink throughout their long journey.

At the park, the elephants will receive antidotes to the anaesthetics that they have been injected with. Tracking devices will be pinned to their ears to help specialists monitor their movements.

Preparations for the relocation have been completed, says Deputy Director of the provincial Forest Protection Department (FPD), Nguyen Van Cuong.

"The relocation plans have been approved by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development," Cuong told the press on Tuesday.

The FPD has brought two domesticated elephants from Yok Don National Park to lure the wild elephants, and another one will be brought in as a stand by in case of unexpected developments. — VNS

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