Located at the centre of the Mekong region, it is the only nation to share a border with all other countries in the region. Laos is bordered by Burma (Myanmar) and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or Land of a Million Elephants, which existed from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century.
The Asian or Asiatic Elephant (Elephas maximus), sometimes known by the name of one of its subspecies – the Indian Elephant, is one of the three living species of elephant which include the African Bush Elephant and the African Forest Elephant. It is the only living species of the genus Elephas.
Domesticated elephants have played an important role in the socio-economic life of rural Laotians for centuries. They have used them for work, in religious and cultural ceremonies, and for carrying goods. These wonderful creatures have always been highly respected by the people and in former times the king officially assigned the elephant as the national animal. The king frequently donated elephants to neighboring countries as a sign of friendship and friendly relations and to cement political ties.
Currently there is a growing opposition and a reconsideration of the capture, confinement, and use of wild elephants. Animal rights advocates allege that elephants in zoos "suffer a life of chronic physical ailments, social deprivation, emotional starvation, and premature death". The opposing position taken by zoos is that the standards for the treatment of elephants are extremely high and that minimum requirements for such things as minimum space requirements, enclosure design, nutrition, reproduction, enrichment and veterinary care are set to ensure the wellbeing of elephants in captivity.
