ID :
100772
Mon, 01/18/2010 - 10:42
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/100772
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Annual Elephant Festival to hold in Sayaboury
(KPL) The Fourth Annual Elephant Festival will be scheduled in Viengkeo village, Parklai district, Sayaboury province on 20-21 February.
The festival is a cultural celebration of the traditional bond between humans and the endangered Asian elephant, according to the announcement of the Lao National Tourism Administration, the Sayaboury Provincial Government and ElefantAsia.
With an approximate 82,000 people attending the 2009 festival, the Lao Elephant Festival has quickly become the highlight on every traveller’s must-see list of destinations.
This year’s festival endeavours to highlight the strong bonds that exist between man and elephant in a region of Laos still steeped in the rich cultural heritage of domesticated elephant ownership.
An approximate 50 elephants from the local district will attend the festival. Activities on offer include elephant processions, bathing, elephant ceremonies, logging demonstrations, treks, rides and the coveted ‘Elephant of the Year’ competition. Markets, concerts, fire displays and handicrafts are all on offer for partygoers to continue the celebrations well into the sparkling Lao night.
The Elephant Festival not only celebrates the beauty of the Asian elephants, but also generates much-needed income to areas of the Lao PDR suffering poverty with very few methods of income-raising besides subsidence living. Protection of this internationally endangered species is also promoted, along with the actions local Lao people can take to protect this species from regional extinction.
ElefantAsia have been organising the Elephant Festival since 2007. This French-based INGO promotes the protection and conservation of Asian elephants in the Lao PDR. Mr Gilles Maurer, Programme Manager of ElefantAsia says “the Elephant Festival is a significant way of educating local and international visitors about the plight of this endangered species in Laos. This year we are also collaborating with the Lao Illegal Wildlife Trafficking Campaign in order to highlight the need to protect the nation’s species from extinction”.
The festival is a cultural celebration of the traditional bond between humans and the endangered Asian elephant, according to the announcement of the Lao National Tourism Administration, the Sayaboury Provincial Government and ElefantAsia.
With an approximate 82,000 people attending the 2009 festival, the Lao Elephant Festival has quickly become the highlight on every traveller’s must-see list of destinations.
This year’s festival endeavours to highlight the strong bonds that exist between man and elephant in a region of Laos still steeped in the rich cultural heritage of domesticated elephant ownership.
An approximate 50 elephants from the local district will attend the festival. Activities on offer include elephant processions, bathing, elephant ceremonies, logging demonstrations, treks, rides and the coveted ‘Elephant of the Year’ competition. Markets, concerts, fire displays and handicrafts are all on offer for partygoers to continue the celebrations well into the sparkling Lao night.
The Elephant Festival not only celebrates the beauty of the Asian elephants, but also generates much-needed income to areas of the Lao PDR suffering poverty with very few methods of income-raising besides subsidence living. Protection of this internationally endangered species is also promoted, along with the actions local Lao people can take to protect this species from regional extinction.
ElefantAsia have been organising the Elephant Festival since 2007. This French-based INGO promotes the protection and conservation of Asian elephants in the Lao PDR. Mr Gilles Maurer, Programme Manager of ElefantAsia says “the Elephant Festival is a significant way of educating local and international visitors about the plight of this endangered species in Laos. This year we are also collaborating with the Lao Illegal Wildlife Trafficking Campaign in order to highlight the need to protect the nation’s species from extinction”.
