“Elephant culture” are the words the Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Lak Province, Truong Bi, used to talk about the benefits that Dak Lak gain from elephants. Elephants give Dak Lak a distinct cultural characteristic.

Elephants in Don Village.

According to Truong Bi, Don village currently has four old elephants which can’t participate in the upcoming elephant festival. Two others have been shot dead by wood thieves. He said that in five years, Don village would not have any elephant left.

Bi and patriarchs of Don village are worried that without elephants, Don village and Dak Lak will not have an elephant festival. Without elephants, tourists will not come to Dak Lak anymore.

They said Don village is losing elephants because of deforestation and the state’s ban on hunting wild animals, including elephants. For more than ten years, Don village has not hunted wild elephants for taming. Meanwhile, the tradition of M’nong people doesn’t allow tame elephants to get pregnant; the owners of both male and female elephants are fined heavily if this happens. In addition, wood thieves often shoot elephants for their tusks.

For many generations, residents along the Srepok River lived with elephant hunting and taming. This land is famous for their tamed elephants, which has become an “elephant culture”.

After the country’s unification in 1975, Dak Lak had more than 800 tamed elephants. By 1994, the number had dropped to 300, and it is 54 at present.

Truong Bi said many people don’t understand elephant hunting. Don villagers only catch baby elephants to tame. If they are banned from hunting and taming elephants, the elephant culture of Dak Lak and the Central Highlands will disappear very soon.

He said that recently local people caught a baby elephant. The local authorities fined the hunters and forced them to release the elephant into Yok Don forest. But the elephant died a short time later. He said elephant tamers know what elephants need and they have special feelings for elephants. Elephant taming is an art.

The Director of Don Village Tourism Company, Nguyen Tru, agreed with Truong Bi. He said: “Before 2000, hunting elephants was a proud occupation of ethnic people in Dak Lak. The tame elephant herd will be disappearing because of the current policy. Elephants will only be a legend in 2020.”

VietNamNet/TT&VH