Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) has funded US$50,000 to conserve elephants in Dak Lak province under its co-operative agreement signed on May 23 with the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Under the 2016-2017 agreement, the money will be allocated directly to the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Centre in Vietnam (DECC) to improve the centre’s quality and capacity for caring and conserving elephants.

The AAF will also send its experts and veterinarians to the centre to help enhance its facility and infrastructure and improve the capacity of its staff members.

Programmes on raising public awareness of conservation of elephants and other wild animals will also be held.

This is the first time the DECC has signed an agreement with an international organisation on conserving wild animals in the locality.

According to Associate Prof. Dr. Tuan Bendixsen, Director of the AAF Vietnam, the signing of the agreement illustrated the AAF's long-term commitment to conserving elephants in Vietnam and Dak Lak in particular.

Since 2014, the AAF has been operating a number of programmes supporting the DECC in elephant care and management. The foundation has sent international experts to conduct health checks up for 36 elephants at the centre.

Source: Nhan dan