Dak Lak will completely abandon elephant riding tourism.

This month, the People's Committee of Dak Lak province held a signing ceremony for a cooperation agreement on elephant-friendly tourism between the province and the Animals Asia Foundation. The province will not organize elephant riding tours, elephant competitions, or long elephant parades on asphalt or concrete roads; instead, elephants will be used to reenact elephant hunting and taming scenes. The Animals Asia Foundation will be responsible for mobilizing resources to provide technical and financial support to benefit the elephants and the households that earn their living from elephant riding tourism.

Currently, the local elephant population is only about 140 individuals, a 90% decrease compared to 1980. In light of this situation, Animals Asia will provide the Elephant Conservation Center with $231,000 to support elephant conservation efforts in the province from 2022 to 2026. At the same time, "Dak Lak is committed to supporting the proposals of Animals Asia, thereby aiming to develop and implement an elephant-friendly ecotourism model," said Mr. Y Giang Gry Niê Knơng, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dak Lak province.