The Status of Elephants in Vietnam

THE STATUS OF ELEPHANTS IN VIETNAM

Do Tuoc Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (FlPl) Van Dien-Thanh Tri Hanoi, Vietnam

and

Charles Santiapillai WWF-Asia Programme PO Box 133 Bogor, Indonesia

INTRODUCTION Three decades of conflict during which the Vietnamese fought first with the French Vietnam is a thin, long and largely moun- and later the US caused not only the death of' tainous country situated between latitudes 8 N four million people, of which 60% were chil- and 24 N, at the southeastern margin of the dren: under the age of 1 6 years, but also des- Indo-Chinese peninsula (Fig. 1) lt has a total troyed thousands of ha of forests: saturation land area of 330,541 km2 with a coast line bombing dumped more than 72 million litres of about 3,200 km. Vietnam is principally of herbicides and 13 million tons of ammu- an agricultural country'with a rapidly growing nition, an amount 450 times the size of Hiroshi- human population of 65 million. The average ma atom bomb (Kernf, 1986). Huge bulldozers population density is 200 per km2 which is called "Rome Ploughs" .were used to clear one of the highest for any agricultural country forests from strategic areas (MacKinnon, 1990). in the world, thereby placing an "impossible These operations were directly attributed to strain on the environmental capacity of the the loss of 2 million ha of forest. But unfor- country" (lUCN, 1985). Given the present tunately, even more forest land has been lost rate of growth of 2J% per annum, the popu- since the end of the war through slash and burn lation is expected to double in 25 years (Westing agriculture, forest fires and fuel wood collec- & Westing, 1981 ). tion. According to Kemf (1986, 1990) these are responsible for the annual loss of 200,000 ) ha of forest cover. Reforesta.tign.ii going on at Forest cover the rate of 100,000 ha annually but only about 3% of the plants survive. ;- . ln the distant past, the entire country was covered with dense tropical forest vegetation with the predominance of monsoon evergreen Protected Areas in Vietnam tropical dense forest (Hoe & Quy, 1990). As park, Cuc Phuong recently as 1 960, about 65% of the area south The 'first national 'was of the 17th parallel was forested, of which un- established in'1962. Today, the.country has se- disturbed primary forest accounted for about ven national parks (Cuc Phuong, Ba Be; Ba Vi, 18%.' Since the Indo-China war, the country Cat Ba; Bach Ma,' Yok'Don'and Nam Bai Cat 49 has experienced.a rapid loss in its forest cover. Tien) and a total of 87 rei6rves including The total forest cover declined from 43.7% in 1943 to 23.6% in 1983 (Quy, 1983)' Thus within 30 years, the country lost 5O% of its forest cover. By '.987, the forest cover had declined to 2'l% (Quy, 1987)- The true extent with the e-xception of .[l.uong Nhe (in L4i,Chag province) (in Daq Lac province) of undisturbed primary forest may be ' only and Yok Don about 10% (MacKinnon, 1990). the protected areas where the elephant occurs I 6 000 000

Muong nhe* + :r

Sop cop* )rf " Bu huongi Bon En Tuong duong + Anh son* | \ "'--;^J Ha+tinh - Bo trach

B ach ma* r-r i Quang nam danang

Con piong rMom ray Con ha nung

*Bu

+ Bai cat. tien

s Xuyen moc r

Fig. 1 Distribution of wild elephants in Vietnam. (* denotes protected areas)

3 l

are all small, being less than 500 km2 (Table 1) How many elephants are there in the wild? and thus may not be sufficient in themselves Assessment of elephant numbers in the wild is to protect the annual home ranges of the ele- prone to underestimation as the lack of visi- phant populations. MacKinnon (1990) in his bility in the dense tropical forest makes it ex- review of the Protected Area system in Vietnam tremely difficult to arrive at even working esti- has recommended the extension of a number mates. Much of the information on the distri- a'. of reserves to accommodate the home range bution and number of elephants in Vietnam requirements of large mammals. has been obtained from the field surveys and from talking to knowledgeable villagers, especially hunters living in and around elephant habitats. Both Khoi (1988) and Tuoc (1989) the number Status of the Elephant in Vietnam indepndently arrived at estimates of of elephants in Vietnam to be 1,1 1 5 and 1 ,463 respectively pointed out that the true num- Vietnam at the turn of the century had a but and 2,000. substantial population of elephants both in the ber may lie anything between 1,500 wild and in captivity. The country used to The elephant populations in Vietnam are dis- provin- supply trained elephants in large numbers to tributed discontinuously from Lai Chau province Myanmar (= Burma), Cambodia, Laos and Thai- ce in the north to the Dong Nai in (Fig. very small, land and also to Zoos and circuses in Europe the south 1). There are two pocketed provin- before the Second World War (Santiapillai & herds of elephants across the Dong ackson, 1990). However a long history of poor cial border between Dong Nai and Lam .f provinces: elephants are known from law enforcement, together with the war has had about 9 a devastating effect on large mammals, in parti- Nui Be (altitude 87'l m) and another herd of cular the elephants. In the past, the elephants 12 animals in the forest near Nui Ong (altitude were given only partial protection, with a ban 1,307 m). These two populations have no only on shooting females. The elephant is today long term viability if left where they are. lt is considered an endangered species and is among recommended that these two herds be captured the 38 species of wildlife protected by law in and relocated to the nearby Nam Bai Cat Tien Vietnam. National Park.

Mr Do Tuoc - Vietnamese mommologist. Table 1. DistrJbution of Elephants in Vietnam

Name Province Status Area (km2)

;. Muong Nhe Lai Chau NR (TFR/Laos) 1,820 Sop Cop Son La NR (TFR/Laos) 50 Ben En Thanh Hoa NR 155 Bu Huong Nghe Tinh NR (TFR/Laos) 50 Anh Son Nghe Tinh NR (TFR/Laos) 15 Tuong Duong Nghe Tinh NR (TFR/Laos) 70 Ha Tin area Nghe Tinh FR (TFR/Laos) ? Bach Ma Binh Tri Thien NP 225 Bo Trach Binh Tri Thien FR ? Quang Nam Danang Quang Nam/Danang FR (TFR/Laos) ? Mom Ray Gia Lai/Con Tum NR (TFR/Cambodia) 350 Kon Cha Tang Gia Lai/Con Tum NR 160 Con Plong Gia LaiiCon Tum FR ? lajunba Gia Lai/Con Tum FR ? Quang Xuyen Dac Lac NR 200 Yok Don Dac Lac NP (TFR/Cambodia) s80,? Nam Dac Lak Dac Lac NR Cong Bac Dac Lac FR ? Bu Gia Map Song Be/Dac Lac NR (TFR/Cambodia) 160 Bai Cat Tien Dong Nai NP 3s0 Tanh Linh Dong Nai/Thuan Hai FR 15 Ham Tan Xuyen Moc Dong NaiiThuan Hai FR 10

Note: NR = Nature Reserve; NP = National Park; FR = Forest Reserve; TFR = Potential'Trans Frontier Reserve.

Habitat Utilization phants are both gtazers and browsers. Browse becomes important during the dry season when Elephants being generalised feeders utilize much of the grass is poor in nutritive value a number of vegetation types such as diptero- (Sukumar, 1989). In Sri Lanka, grass may carp forests, moist evergreen forests, dry deci- account for 86% of the diet (McKay, 19731. grasslands. Although grass may be preferred in the wet sea- duous forest, bamboo forests and 'plane But they seem to thrive on the secondary son, the browse provides a higher of forest with an abundance of bamboo. Although nutrition especially to the lactating females. the elephant is a generalised feeder, in Vietnam Elephants usually consume about 150 kg of it appears from the limited information current- wet weight per day and this explains why the ly available that bamboos and grass may form animals are catholic in their food habits. To the bulk of its food intake. In the dipterocarp consume so much food, the elephants may and secondary forest of Tay Nguyen high pla- spend up to 18 hours a day feeding (Vancuylen- teau, Tuoc (1989) identified some 60 species berg, 1977). But elephants are waiteful feeders. of wild plants and 9 species of cultivated crops They knock down trees and pull down branches that were eaten by elephants (Table 2). Ele- but feed on only those pars that they prefer l

Tablo 2. Plants eaten by elephants in Vietnam.

A Trees and Shrubs: 37. Pueralia thomsonii 38, Daenionorops pierreanus 1. Bauhenia variegata -- 39. Acacia pennata 2. Shorea roxburghii 3. Shorea siemensis 4. Castanopsis indica D Herbs ond Grosses ' 5. Areca laosensis 40. Miscanthus iaPonicus chebula 6. Terminalia 41. Thysanolaena maxima alata 7. Terminalia 42. Musa ouranoscopos Pterocarpus macrocarPus 8. 43. Juncus effusus 9. Gardeniajasminoides 44. Scleria poacformis 10. Helicteres ixora 45. Digitaria longiflora 11. Bridelia monoica 46. Digitariaischaemum 12. Adina cordifolia 47. Panicum sermentosum 13. Clausena lansium 48. Panicum repens 14. Gmelina arborea 49. Lophatherum gracile 'i : 1 5. Caryota urens 50. Cynodon dactylon '16. Bauhenia racemosa 51 . Eleusine indica 17. Bauhenia purpurea 52. Chloris barbata 18. Adenanthera microsPerma 53. Setaria barbata 19. Cananga latifolia 54. lmperata cylindrica (young shoots) 20. Flpus religiosa 55. Phryngium capitatum : 21. Fptus retusa 56. Saccharum arundinaceum 22. Ficus racemosa 57. Oryza granulata 23. Dillenia pentagyna 58, Zingiber zerumbet 24. Dillenia scabrella 59. Phragmites karka 25- Canarium subulatum 60.'Amomumxanthioides ; "' 26. Canarium album

B Bomboos; ' r' E CultivatedCrops:: Dendrocalamus sPP. 27. 61. Cocos nucifera ' Dinochloa comPactiflora 28. 62. Cucurbita pepo 29. Bambusa multiPlex 63. Musp pg.adisiaqa r BafrbuSiarundinacea .-,. 30. Musa p. var. sapientum rr : 64. Bambusa 'i' 3'1. Procera 65. lmpomoea batataE Arundinaria pusilla 32: 66. Oryza sativa 33, Lingnania sp. 67. 7 mays ,34. dullooa .ea Neohouzeaua 68. Manihot esculenta c Climbers: 69. Saccharum officinarum 35: Streptocaulon juventas' ,,'; 36, Bauhenia vahlii . '' : the leaving. the rest !o ,be utilized 'by- other herbi- ment. Therefore ,one way of improving vor9s, f lephants may.al5o fqed qn.a,wide spec- survival p,rospects. of - elephant populations trum of plants.lo nullify the effects of toxic in Vigtnam would be through -the establishment substances. Among the food plants of elephants of Trans-Frontier Reserves (TFR) with adjoining in Vietnam are various species .such as Acocio Laos and Cambodia. Table I identifies seven pennato which may have a high tannin content. TFR with Laos and three with Cambodia. ln the final analysis, as Sukumar (1989) points out, the optimal diet of the elephant in the wild .: Laos .which until now had no protected will be atfunction of the proportio4.,of browse areas, has proposed six reserves in the south and grass, depending on the season and the,vege- of which Dong Amphane and Na Kai/Nam tation type. Theun border the frontier with Vietnam. The Mon Ray reserve which is 350 km2 could be

Conservation .i greatly increased if it were to be joined with a reserve across the border in Cambodia (San- The.long-term sgrrvival of many small popu- tiapillai & Jackson. 1990). lations of elephants and/or those that inhabit forest patches that are surrounded by human In Vietnam, it5elf, much research needs to settleplents and agricultgre are grim vis-a-vis be done to accurately map the distribution of a rapidly expan-ding human popqlation and its the elephants in the wild. Detailed surveys need reserve the legitimate aspirations for 4 better quality of life. to be carried but in Muong Nhe in The elephant is a migratoiy species and national extre.me north-west of, the country.where there frontiers do ngt pose any barrier to their move- are still substantial forests and also elephants.

Table 2. Minimun estimate of the number of wild elephants in Vietnam

Province Number Source

1. Lai Chau *126-#243 #Khoi (1988) *Tuoc (1 989) 2. Son La * 77-#107 #Khoi (1988) '*Tuoc (1 989) *Tuoc 3:' Thanh Hoa, Nghe Tinh &-,'r' +400 (1989) Binh Tri Trien : ' *Tuoc 4. Quang Nam Danang ' *70 (1989) 5. Gia Lai-Con Tum *250-#250 #Khoi (1988) *Tuoc (1989) 6. Dac Lac #480-*505 #Khoi (1988) *Tuoc (1989) 7. Lam Dong & Song Be * 35-# 35 #Khoi (1988) *Tuoc (1 989) 8. Dong Nai/Lam Dong @21 @(Pham Mong Giao, pers.comm.)

Total 1,459-1,631 lf the recommended extensions were to be Khoi, L.V; 1 988.'Some biological Characteristics carried out for Muong Nhe, Bu'Huong, Tuong 'i'of €lephant and elephant domestication in Dong, Anh Son, they will ensure the long-term Vietnam. ln: Droft proceedings of -the I survival of the elephant in the north, while in IUCN/SSC Asian Elephant Speciolist Group the south, the elephant's long term future will Meeting, Chiongmoi, Thailand. C. Santia- depend on not only the availability of large pillai (Ed.). conservation areas (e.g. Mom Ray, Yok Don and Bu Xia Map with their extensions) but also MacKinnon, J. 1990. Review of the Natural on the ability of the authorities concerned to Conservation System, National Parks and eradicate poaching. Protected Areas. FAO/UNDP/MOF Report No: 037. Flanoi, Vietnam. Vietnam should also become a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endanger- McKay, q.M. 1973. The ecology and behaviour ed Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). of the Asiatic elephant in southeastern The former Saigon regime signed the convention Ceylon. Smithson. Contib. to Zoology. in 1973, but never ratified it. Adherence to 125: 1-l 13. CITES would help reduce ivory poaching by controlling (Santiapillai international trade & Quy, V. 1987. .Vietnam's ecological situation Jackson,1990). today. Keynote address at Lake Mohawk Ecology Conference, New York State. An immediate priority however is to translo- cate pocketed the two small herds at Nui Btj and Santiapillai, C. & Jackson, P. 1990. The Asian Nui Ong along the Dong Nai/Lam Dong provin- Elephant. An Action Plon for its Conservo- cial border to the security of the much larger tion. I,UCN, Gland. protected area, Nam Bai Cat Tien National Park. Sukumar, R. 1989. The Asian Elephont: ecology and manogemenf Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. REFERENCES Tuoc, D. 1989. Elephants in Vietnam. In: The Scientific and Technical Newsletter of Hoe, H. & Quy,'V. 1990. Nature Conservation Forestry Department. Hanoi. No: 2. in Vietnam: An Overview. Regional Expert Consulttion on Management of Protected Vancuylenberg, B.W.B. 1977. Feeding behaviour Areas in the. Asia-Pacific Region. FAO of the Asiatic:elephant in sou.theast'Sri Regional Office, Bangkok. Thailand. Lanka relation conservatign. Biol. 10-14 December. in to : Conservation. 1 2: 33.5!. IUCN. 1985. Vietnam. National Conservation Westing, A.H. & Westing, C.E. 1981, Enddngered Strategy (draft) Prepared by the Committee species and habitats of Viet Nam. Env. for Rational Utilisation Natural Con- of Resources servation. 8: 59-62. and Environmental Protection (Programme 52-02), with the, assistance from !UCN.

Kemf, E. 1986. Seeds of recovery . ln: Inside Asia. 9:33-35.

Kemf, E. 1990. Month of Pure Light. The Women's Press, London.