A photo of the elephant race. (Source: VNA) Dak Lak (VNA) - The Central Highlands province of Dak Lak held its traditional elephant and boat race in Lak district on March 12 as part of the ongoing sixth Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival.
Thirteen elephants demonstrated their skills by running and swimming.
Meanwhile, a boat race drew nearly 100 participants in two, four and five crew-members competitions.
The events aim to raise public awareness of cultural conservation and promotion of ethnic groups in the Central Highlands, thus boosting tourism in the locality.
Dak Lak province has been dubbed the home of tamed elephants, though their population has declined sharply from 502 in 1985 to 84 in 2000 and fewer than 60 in 2010.
To conserve its elephants, the province launched a project worth 61 billion VND (3.1 million USD) for a healthcare and research facility on elephant reproduction and conservation in 2014.-VNA
