Oliver Bandmann has been living in Laos for years. This German elephant – lover has founded the “Help Elephant” project and opened last month a branch in Hongsa District with the honored participation of the German Ambassador to Laos, Mr. Christian Berger. The unusual new project based in Luang Phabang is making recycled paper from elephant dung, then producing books and selling them to help fund a clinic for elephants.

There are about 70 elephants remaining in Hongsa district and Oliver says that he believes there will be a lot of dung for sale.

“The idea of making paper from elephants’dung came from Africa”, he explained. “Normally an elephant eats some 250kg of vegetable matter continually throughout the day. Its excrement contains a lot of residual fibers, which can be made into paper.

The fibers are first cleaned and boiled in caustic soda. Then they are immersed in hydrogen

peroxide for several hours to ensure they are completely sanitised and then mixed with the bark of the Porsa tree.

In the “Help Elephant” project, 15 percent of the profits from the sale of the elephant paper will be collected as a fund, and used to build an elephant clinic in Hongsa district in the near future. Oliver says he will only need US$ 10,000 to build the clinic.

Dung holds secret to survival for elephants

 “The clinic will be used for various activities in order to help elephants. Not only will there be an elephant doctor, but there will also be training on how to use elephants for tourist purposes” he said.

The target market of the elephant paper will mostly be western tourists, who visit Laos, especially those going to Luang Phabang, where the paper is being made into books which people can buy as souvenirs. These are available in Oliver’s shop.