50
INTO THE WILD
IN THE
FOOTSTEPS OF
GIANTS
The historical symbol of Laos gets a brighter future TEXT BY CLAIRE BOOBBYER PHOTOGRAPHS BY JULIA ZIMMERMANN / MANDALAO MORE INFO MandaLao is located 15km outside of Luang Prabang, but you can make reservations at their office downtown. See their website at mandalaotours.com for more details.
I
n a tangled teak forest, a short drive from Luang Prabang, I cross a cold mountain stream behind a giant matriarch elephant and a trailing tot. Majestic Mahn leads the way through trickling water ahead of four-year-old baby Kit. I pinch myself. I can’t believe I’m so close to these jungle-munching creatures as they wander the forest foraging for breakfast. Baby Kit hesitates when he sees the babbling brook, retreats, pushes ahead, and then bumps around for a different route, scattering his human observers while he searches for the confidence to pass. It’s a magical experience to watch this small pachyderm on a learning curve.
Kit is one of thirteen Asian elephants (and the only youngster) living on the banks of the Nam Khan River who are getting a new and happier lease of life at MandaLao. Set up by American Michael Vogler, and co-founders 5 years ago, MandaLao’s elephants have been rescued from logging camps and are being shown a new future without backbreaking work, and tourists riding on their backs for laughs. MandaLao offers wildlife fans a range of walks and ethical encounters all within easy access to Luang Prabang. Guide Mr. Keum tells our small group at MandaLao’s riverside location that when the Lao government shut down logging camps in 2016, the elephants were out of work. Today they live in a “five-star hotel,” Keum says, while showing us photos of the elephants prior to their welcome at MandaLao. Vogler’s ultimate aim is to send those captive elephants who are able to survive in the wild to a National Biodiversity Con-
