Asian elephant populations are declining in a bush in North Laos, prompting researchers to investigate alternative ways to protect them.
The people of Asian elephants in Laos has decreased due to habitat damage, exhausting work in checking, hunting, and minimal breeding possibilities, AFP reported.
To keep biological diversity and devise successful mating strategies for species protection, scientists are using DNA study of elephant dung to screen both captive and wild populations.
Laos, historically known as” Lane Xang” or” Land of a Million Elephants”, now houses only 500 to 1, 000 elephants, representing a mere third of its population from 20 years ago, according to WWF-Laos.
In this Southeast Asian nation, there is a significant risk of extinction because of the deaths charge, which indicates that 10 animals pass away for every one or two birth.
Wildlife biologist Anabel Lopez Perez explains to AFP that the goal of the Elephant Conservation Center (ECC ) laboratory in Sainyabuli province is to maintain a healthy captive population as a genetic preventative measure against the collapse of the wild population.
Through DNA analysis of dung examples, researchers hope to find unique elephants. This information will aid in managing genetic diversity, preventing offspring, and ensuring the health of calves for eventual exotic release.
At the ECC clinic, which houses 28 animals in its 500-hectare shelter, Mae Khoun Nung receives treatment in a specifically designed metal construction. Sounthone Phitsamone, the council’s elephant guard director and assistant veterinarian, performs daily foot maintenance.
Up until 2014, Mae Khoun Nung, a species that once lived in sizable areas of Asia, then occupies less than 20 % of its original country, according to WWF. Crazy elephant numbers have decreased by nearly half since the early 1900s, with just 40, 000 to 50, 000 remaining.
The remaining 50 to 60 exotic elephant populations in Nam Poui National Protected Area are currently being studied for DNA tests. This research will help determine elephants, ascertain their sex, monitor movements and understand flock relationships, reported AFP.
Following the 2018 federal restrictions on unlawful logging, many animals were transferred to hospitality or sold to different services. The ECC tries to obtain and safeguard captive animals, but its breeding success rate is only three per centile, with only six pregnancies and three calves since 2010 alone.
Mae Khoun Nung, aged 45, prefers single actions due to her secluded lifestyle. She chooses to feed exclusively on banana plants, in contrast to additional elephants, who socialize while taking a bath.
Phitsamone, with over a century of experience at the middle, acknowledges the major issues in preserving Laos’s rhino people, expressing uncertainty about their coming in the coming decades.
