Chinese Elephant Plan in Lao Capital Angers Wildlife Advocates
A Chinese-owned firm drew fire from animal conservation activists when it brought in 10 elephants from the north of the country to entertain tourists in a special economic zone in the Lao capital Vientiane during Visit Laos-China Year 2019.
The year-long promotional campaign officially encourages tourism and cultural exchange between the two neighboring countries through which Laos hopes to reap the economic benefits of enticing Chinese tourists to visit their southern neighbor.
But animal rights advocates argue that transporting Lao elephants over great distances from remote Xayaburi province to entertain Chinese tourists in crowded Vientiane is unnecessarily cruel.
RFA’s Lao Service
