Two elephant skeletons in Pu Mat: An urgent warning about wild elephant conservation
Pu Mat National Park has completed the preservation of two elephant bone specimens from two wild elephants that died in Con Cuong district. This is to raise awareness of environmental protection and spread the message of preserving the endangered wild elephant species.
Discovered dead wild elephant and decided to keep specimen
According to Mr. Le Anh Tuan - Director of Pu Mat National Park, in February-March 2024, two wild elephants were found dead in the forest in Khe Nong area, Chau Khe commune, Con Cuong district.
On-site examination results showed that the elephant showed no signs of being attacked by humans or other animals, the cause of death may have been due to old age.
Realizing the importance of preserving the elephant skeletons as specimens, Pu Mat National Park proposed to the authorities and received consensus. Thanks to socialized funding, the treatment and preservation of the two elephant skeletons have been well implemented.
Creating the two elephant skeletons was a costly and challenging process. The steps involved burying the carcasses in sand to speed up decomposition, then using special chemicals to remove and clean the bones. This painstaking process took nearly a year before the original elephant skeletons were reconstructed.
Since December 2024, two elephant specimens have been displayed right at the front of Pu Mat National Park, making it easy for visitors to visit. Both skeletons are arranged precisely and naturally, retaining the entire structure from the ribs to the tailbone...
Message to protect wild elephants
Visiting Pu Mat National Park, Mr. Tran Van Tam, a tourist from Hanoi, shared: "Thanks to these specimens, I really realized that wild elephants are rapidly declining. We need to act now before it's too late."
Mr. Le Anh Tuan - Director of Pu Mat National Park, emphasized the importance of preserving elephant bone specimens. According to him: "This is not only a means of conveying a strong message to visitors, raising environmental awareness but also a wake-up call for the community to pay more attention to the wild elephants of Nghe An. Each elephant specimen carries a story that this animal cannot speak for itself".
Currently, Nghe An has about 13 - 15 wild elephants, mainly distributed in Pu Mat National Park and Pu Hoat Nature Reserve (Quy Chau, Quy Hop). In Pu Mat National Park alone, the number of elephants recorded is about 7 - 8 individuals. Most of these individuals are adults, some are even old, with very low reproductive capacity.
Without timely protection and reproductive support measures, in the near future, the wild elephant herd in Nghe An may seriously decline and face the risk of extinction.
Faced with this situation, Pu Mat National Park has proposed urgent solutions to departments, branches and the People's Committee of Nghe An province. The focus is on implementing the Emergency Elephant Conservation Project in the province, including allocating funds to implement measures to protect and restore the number of wild elephants in this area.
