Baby elephant spotted via camera trap in Da Nang

Earlier this year, after local residents reported signs of elephant reproduction in the Na Lau area, the management board of the conservation area promptly launched a monitoring initiative.

They installed 30 camera traps across 15 locations, focusing on areas frequently visited by the elephant herd.

Although the initial round of image collection produced no results, the team remained undeterred and continued repositioning the cameras in other promising locations.

On Saturday, Mai Van Duong, director of the conservation area, shared the encouraging news.

Earlier, between July 20 and July 23, while collecting and reviewing footage from the traps, the team was overjoyed to discover an image of a baby elephant playfully walking alongside its mother.

The footage showed the calf moving nimbly, closely followed and protected by the mother elephant.

This was seen as a 'well-earned reward' after months of tireless forest protection efforts by the area’s rangers.

The discovery carries great significance, not only as a sign of the herd’s successful natural reproduction in the wild, but also as a major morale boost for those working day and night to protect both the forest and its wildlife.

It affirms that the current conservation approach is on the right track and is contributing meaningfully to the preservation of the endangered Asian elephant.

According to the conservation authority, there are now at least nine elephants living within the protected forest area.

This is not the first time a baby elephant has been recorded.

Back in 2020, with support from the USAID-funded Truong Son Xanh (Green Annamites) project, the team also discovered a one-year-old calf.

At that time, the conservation zone belonged to Quang Nam Province, which has now been amalgamated into Da Nang City.

Currently, the wild elephant population in the area exhibits a full herd structure, including bulls, cows, and calves, an encouraging sign for the long-term sustainability of the species.