Laos Plans Comeback for 400 Wild Elephants Still Roaming

A new study reveals that Laos can still save its remaining wild elephants and reverse decades of wildlife losses, even after rhinos and tigers vanished from its forests.

The landlocked Southeast Asian nation once rumbled with herds of Asian elephants, two species of rhinoceros, wild water buffalo, and tigers stalking through thick forests. Today, researchers estimate 300 to 400 Asian elephants remain in the wild, spread across 24 separate populations throughout the country.

The study, published in Global Ecology and Conservation, examined wildlife records dating back to 1850 to understand what went wrong. Sumatran and Javan rhinos disappeared from Laos by 1990, and the last verified tiger sighting came from camera traps in 2013.

But here's the surprising part: Laos still has more forest cover than most Southeast Asian countries. The problem isn't missing habitat. It's what scientists call "empty forests," places that look healthy but lack the large animals that should live there.

Why This Inspires

The research team found something hopeful buried in the data. Many of these losses could have been prevented with earlier action, better habitat protection, and stricter enforcement against illegal hunting and wildlife trade.

That means the future doesn't have to follow the same path. Laos still supports two dozen elephant populations, and scientists now have a clear roadmap for protecting them: reconnect movement corridors so isolated groups can meet, work across borders with neighboring countries, and help local communities coexist with elephants to prevent conflicts.

"Laos still has high forest cover and a large protected area network," said Akchousanh Rasphone, conservation director at WWF Laos. "The task now is to make sure the wildlife inside those forests is protected too."

The study also found that gaur, banteng, clouded leopards, sun bears, Asiatic black bears, and golden jackals still survive in small populations across the country. Protecting elephant corridors would help all these species.

Researchers acknowledge serious challenges remain, including weak enforcement of wildlife laws, persistent illegal hunting, cross-border wildlife trafficking, and limited conservation funding. Laos recorded the highest deforestation rate in the Mekong region in 2025, losing 230,200 hectares of forest.

Success depends on political will to implement existing conservation plans and secure long-term funding for a region often overlooked by international donors. The study's lead author, Duangphachan Souvansai, emphasizes that these species declines weren't inevitable, they resulted from delayed recognition and insufficient response.

With the right action starting now, Laos's forests could once again thrive with the giants that belong there.