Dor Khoun Meuang needs your help

About Dor Khoun Meuang

  • Sex: Male
  • Approximate Date of Birth: Nov. 1, 2013
  • Arrival Date: Jan. 1, 2017
  • Rehabilitation Centre: Elephant Conservation Centre in Laos
  • Physical condition: Healthy and growing well

Adopt Dor Khoun Meuang

Before his life of freedom at the Elephant Conservation Centre in Laos, Dor Khoun Meuang was one of a group of elephants that were in the process of being illegally sent to a Middle Eastern Zoo from Laos in 2016. With 12 other elephants, he had been loaded into a shipping container, ready for transportation.

The plane waiting for them was on the tarmac at Vientiane International Airport in Laos when the Lao government stepped in. A last minute executive order was received from the Prime Minister’s office, stating that the sale was illegal under Lao law.  The elephants were blocked from entering the airport. 

Originally trained to perform degrading circus tricks, Dor Khoun Meuang was moments away from a life sentence of performing daily shows. Thankfully, due to the government’s intervention, all 13 elephants were saved from this fate and sent to the Elephant Conservation Centre in Laos in 2017. With its excellent welfare and conservation programs, the Elephant Conservation Centre was considered the best place for these elephants.

Thanks to the wild reintroduction program, young Dor Khoun Meuang now roams free with a surrogate herd of three females named Mae Mah, Mae Noy, and Mae Boun Me Yai. They live in freedom inside the Nam Pouy National Park Protected Area, as part of the Elephant Conservation Centre’s soft release program. Here, former captive elephants are released into the wild and are closely  monitored by staff.

Estimated to have been born in 2013, Dor Khoun Meuang is very playful and loves attention from his adopted herd. He makes a  distinctive squeaking sound and has striking, wild eyes. Along with his new herd, he was released in March 2019 and is closely monitored to ensure his wellbeing and safety. This is the first attempt to release captive elephants back into the wild in Laos and adopting  Dor Khoun Meuang will help protect this herd and critical forest habitat.

How he's grown

  • May 14, 2024

    The 19 March 2024 marked a significant milestone in the Elephant Conservation Center’s release project's journey, celebrating five years of success in reintroducing Dor Khoun Meuang and three other female ...

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  • Nov 23, 2023

    In August, at only eleven years-old, Dor Khoun Mueang went through his first musth.

    Read more
  • May 24, 2023

    Dor Khoun Meuang is getting very big these days! He is almost indistinguishable from the adult females from afar and is really starting to look like a fully developed adult.

    ...

    Read more

Adoption packages for Dor Khoun Meuang

By adopting Dor Khoun Meuang today, you are making a symbolic but incredibly powerful gesture. By adopting one elephant, you are helping to safeguard their entire herd. You are supporting them, their kinfolk and their precious calves, and you are actively protecting their jungle habitat against poaching, logging and illegal encroachment. Thank you for helping us protect this critical population of Sumatran Elephants.

You can gift this to a loved one after you've made payment.

Monthly Adoption

$ 11.00 USD

Monthly


This gives Dor Khoun Meuang:

Protection via Wildlife Protection Units
Food
Veterinary care
Medicine

You will receive:

Elephant Fluffy Toy

+
Elephant updates available via our e-newsletter

+
Your Elephant Biography

+
Information about the projects you'll be supporting

+
Personalised eCertificate

Annual Adoption

$ 130.00 USD

Yearly


This gives Dor Khoun Meuang:

Protection via Wildlife Protection Units
Food
Veterinary care
Medicine

You will receive:

Elephant Fluffy Toy

+
Elephant updates available via our e-newsletter

+
Your Elephant Biography

+
Option to send eCertificate directly to your loved one

+
Information about the projects you'll be supporting

+
Personalised eCertificate

Gift Adoption

$ 140.00 USD

One-off


This gives Dor Khoun Meuang:

Protection via Wildlife Protection Units
Food
Veterinary care
Medicine

You will receive:

Elephant updates available via our e-newsletter

+
Information about the projects you'll be supporting

+
Personalised eCertificate


Depending on the adoption package you purchase you will receive
an adoption pack for yourself or your loved ones.

  • e-Adoption Pack

    • Personalised eCertificate
    • Your Elephant Biography
    • Information about the projects you'll be supporting
    • Elephant updates available via our e-newsletter
  • Physical Adoption Pack

    • Personalised A4 Adoption Certificate, perfect for framing.
    • Adopted Elephant Key Ring
    • Adopted Elephant Cuddly Toy
    • 10% discount voucher for all items in our online shop
    • Children Activity Book

    You can choose NOT to receive the physical pack to have more of your donation go towards the elephant.

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