The Central Highland province of Dac Lak will set up a 200-ha elephant sanctuary in Yok Don National Park under a project to preserve wild and domestic elephants.

Professor Bao Huy from Tay Nguyen University’s Agriculture and Forestry faculty said the centre will provide a safe settlement site for wild elephants.

Speaking at a seminar held by his university and the province’s Sub-department of Forest Protection on December 15, he said the project is also aimed at building a veterinary centre for elephants and raise public awareness of the need to protect the giant creatures and help elephant owners get their animals to breed.

The project, to be approved by the provincial People’s Committee, will cost VND 58 billion and is expected to be carried out until 2014.

Dak Lak has 80-110 wild elephants and 61 domesticated ones, according to a survey conducted by a research group from the university.

However, the number of domesticated elephants (estimated at 502 in 1985) is shrinking rapidly and now they are in danger of disappearing unless measures for proper breeding and reproduction are immediately taken.

Elephants are found mostly in Buon Don, Ea Sup and Ea H’ Leo districts.