Turismo

Así es el proyecto para acabar con el abuso animal del turismo en Vietnam

Una decena de elefantes camina en libertad por un frondoso parque natural del sur de Vietnam, donde un proyecto de conservación trata de cambiar las prácticas abusivas del turismo enfocado en estos enormes paquidermos.

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Agencia EFE

07 de septiembre de 2024 – 01:00 p. m.

Elephants bathe next to mahouts at Yok Don National Park in Buon Don District, Dak Lak province, Vietnam, 28 August 2024 (issued 07 September 2024). For generations, villagers of the Vietnamese province of Dak Lak have used elephants for agriculture, transport, festivals and to ride tourists visiting their local Yok Don National Park. Today the park, Vietnamís second-largest, proudly pioneers an elephant-friendly tourism model, after signing an agreement with the animal welfare organization Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) in 2018. Of the 14 domestic elephants involved in AAF's elephant conservation project, 10 are now free to roam in their natural habitat, while four others are being cared for at the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC). Rescued from captivity, the animals spend a few months in the Dak Lak ECC established in 2017, before being let free in the park, carefully watched by mahouts. Mahout Y Gai Knul observed how the new model has brought a lot of positive changes for the elephants, making them less stressed, improving their overall health and extending their lifetime. However, villagers from the nearby Lak district have seen how the elephant-riding ban in the park has fueled rides for tourists on the other side of the province. ®I think the main problem is providing an alternative income to the elephant owners," says Ryan Hockley, an elephant welfare advisor for Animals Asia. "As long as we make sure that we consider the needs of the owners alongside the needs of the elephants, then I'm sure we can move forward". The Asian elephant population in the wild dropped drastically in Vietnam, and by the beginning of the last decade conservationists warned there were around 100 of them. According to the ECC, more than 500 domestic elephants roamed the Dak Lak province in the 1980s. Today only 36 remain, primarily in the Buon Don and Lak districts, and no elephant has been successfully born in captivity over 30 years. EFE/EPA/LUONG THAI LINH

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En lugar de montar a lomos de elefantes, bañarse con ellos u otras actividades enraizadas en el sector del turismo, los visitantes del campamento Dak Lak Elephant pueden observar desde la distancia a los animales en su propio hábitat y ser parte de una experiencia más educativa.

El cambio, reconocen los locales, afectó en un primer momento a la economía de la zona, pero más tarde creó nuevas oportunidades enfocadas en el turismo sostenible.

«La prohibición de los paseos en elefante, que eran la principal fuente de ingresos para muchas familias, afectó negativamente a nuestro sustento (…) Sin embargo, este cambio también creó nuevas oportunidades», reconoce el mahout Y Gai Knul en declaraciones a EFE-EPA.

«Ahora nos centramos en programas sostenibles, como permitir que los turistas observen a los elefantes en su hábitat natural desde la distancia. Estos programas no solo mejoran la calidad de vida de los elefantes, sino que también proporcionan un ingreso estable para nuestras familias y aumentan la conciencia sobre la conservación de los elefantes», remarca el vietnamita.

Hace más de tres décadas la población de elefantes domesticados en la provincia de Dak Lak superaba el medio millar, entonces la región vietnamita con mayor número de paquidermos. Sin embargo, en la actualidad el número se ha reducido hasta 36 y se encuentra, principalmente, en los distritos de Buon Don y Lak.

Tourists ride an elephant across the Lak Lake, in Lak district, Dak Lak Province, Vietnam, 29 August 2024 (issued 07 September 2024). For generations, villagers of the Vietnamese province of Dak Lak have used elephants for agriculture, transport, festivals and to ride tourists visiting their local Yok Don National Park. Today the park, Vietnamís second-largest, proudly pioneers an elephant-friendly tourism model, after signing an agreement with the animal welfare organization Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) in 2018. Of the 14 domestic elephants involved in AAF's elephant conservation project, 10 are now free to roam in their natural habitat, while four others are being cared for at the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC). Rescued from captivity, the animals spend a few months in the Dak Lak ECC established in 2017, before being let free in the park, carefully watched by mahouts. Mahout Y Gai Knul observed how the new model has brought a lot of positive changes for the elephants, making them less stressed, improving their overall health and extending their lifetime. However, villagers from the nearby Lak district have seen how the elephant-riding ban in the park has fueled rides for tourists on the other side of the province. ®I think the main problem is providing an alternative income to the elephant owners," says Ryan Hockley, an elephant welfare advisor for Animals Asia. "As long as we make sure that we consider the needs of the owners alongside the needs of the elephants, then I'm sure we can move forward". The Asian elephant population in the wild dropped drastically in Vietnam, and by the beginning of the last decade conservationists warned there were around 100 of them. According to the ECC, more than 500 domestic elephants roamed the Dak Lak province in the 1980s. Today only 36 remain, primarily in the Buon Don and Lak districts, and no elephant has been successfully born in captivity over 30 years. EFE/EPA/LUONG THAI LINH ATTENTION: Thi

El proyecto, coordinado por la organización conservacionista Animals Asia y que sigue una tendencia de otras iniciativas similares en Tailandia, tiene por objetivo reducir el maltrato a los elefantes en la industria turística.

«Uno de los principales campamentos de elefantes en el área de Buon Don ya han decidido terminar con la práctica de montar (a turistas) en elefante», subraya Ryan Hockley, uno de los líderes de la campaña, a la que espera se unan otros centros.

El animalista remarca que el principal reto para cambiar las «prácticas tradicionales» es crear «alternativas para los ingresos de las familias que tienen elefantes» en Vietnam.

“Mientras nos aseguremos de tener siempre en cuenta las necesidades de los propietarios junto con las de los elefantes, estoy seguro de que podremos avanzar”, recalca Hockley.