Mr. Oliver

      The Founder

The emblematic animal in S.E. Asia  since times immemorial is the elephant . Its role is double: as the heraldic symbol, like China's dragon, the U.S.'s eagle, Britain's  lion & unicorn it symbolizes the State (it figured on both the national flags of Thailand and Laos) but unlike them it had, and in Laos still has, a real-life, practical function. In neighbouring Thailand, with the alarming destruction of its forest habitat elephants are now homeless (in the very country they once symbolized) and have to beg for their food in tourist areas. In the remoter parts of Laos the situation is less dire, there is still a living elephant culture and the pachyderms still fulfill their second, practical role of  all-purpose "heavy machinery": truck, crane, transport vehicle (the tusked version of an army tank is definitely in the past!). There, the wooden stilt houses are made both to human and pachyderm measure: you step onto the elephant-back howdah straight from your verandah, built to his height. And as he lumbers off with that peculiar rubbery gait, along verdant paths he knows well, he munches on a branch from the right and some fruit from the left, perfectly at home and contented. However, where he was once omnipresent in the whole country, which was called "The Kingdom of One Million Elephants (Lane Xang)" his presence has shrunk to the remoter areas, and is further shrinking. It is help Elephants modest but urgent aim to help preserve this crucial connection to the very soul of the country. First, to ensure their physical well-being and survival we are constructing the country's first and only  Elephant Clinic, funded by the German Embassy and your donations to provide free veterinary service.

 Then, in demonstrating Westerners' fascination and concern for them to the locals, who have long begun to see them as old-fashioned and impractical, preferring Toyotas, and selling them off (most recently to a circus in S.Korea) we hope to them pause for a re-appraisal: if we, the much-copied Westerners, think this highly of them they may be worth keeping, after all? And it will probably also prove necessary to assist in breeding as well, far too few elephants are being born to ensure sustainability.

Last but not least, to help preserving their all-important habitat we are hoping, by showing respect for the wonderful traditional houses built largely of  solid Mai Du (Padauk rosewood, details, pls click Ancient Village) to reverse the trend of selling these off, roofing them with modern materials, or replacing them by hideous concrete "villas" with very un-classical Greek columns. Thus our project of restoring these buildings to their prime glory and grouping them around the Clinic as an "Ancient Village". These will offer a home to handicrafts and weaving as of old. One of these handicrafts will be based on making elephant-dung paper and products, a perfect example of re-cycling and making money for them with their participation.

We hope for international sponsors for these buildings. For about US$ 5.000 to 10.000 you can rescue one of these buildings to full original splendour. It will bear your name on a rosewood plaque and give you, or your guests, staying rights for up to 3 weeks per year. Imagine waking up in your own rosewood house, your elephant sidling up to your verandah to take you on your morning ride along the old city wall, or through the rice-fields... The first two sponsors have already chosen their houses which will be re-constructed next to the Clinic, details...

All these activities require funding, for the Clinic we will need medicines , instruments and equipment, funds for food. For the Ancient Village houses, sponsors. Veterinarians and students are willing to come stay and study. Among the many planned activities we are collecting fast-disappearing elephant lore, all verbal, from the mahouts - these old gentlemen have wondrous tales to tell. Another later activity may be mahout classes.