GPS collars to be used on wild elephants in Dak Lak
Dak Lak (VNA)
– GPS collars will be fitted to 28 wild elephants in the Yok Don National Park in
the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, a workshop heard on June 29.
The workshop was held
by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Vietnam and the provincial Department
of Agriculture and Rural Development in the city of Buon Ma Thuot to consult relevant parties on the project.
WWF project consultant
Thai Truyen said the collars will allow rangers from the provincial centre for
elephant conservation, animal rescue and forest protection and the Yok Don National
Park to track the location of the elephants and predict their movements in an
attempt to prevent conflicts with humans, he said.
It is the first time
GPS collars for elephants have been used in Vietnam, Truyen said, adding that
it is critical for the project to receive help from experienced foreign experts
as well as technical and financial support from the WWF and Animals Asia
Foundation (AAF).
If the project is
approved, Vietnam will need to learn from other countries, said Dr. Cao Thi Ly from
Tay Nguyen University, underscoring the importance of training and experience
sharing for staff at the centre and the Yok Don National Park.
According to Tran Xuan
Phuoc, director of the centre, if the project gets approval, it will be
implemented in the 2022 – 2023 rainy season./.