In 2023, the Laos Wildlife Sanctuary received the shocking news that they were being evicted from their land, located at an old zoo site, which they had transformed into a wildlife haven. With just 18 months to secure a new location and rebuild the entire conservation centre from the ground up, the team embarked on a monumental challenge.
Within just 18 months, the sanctuary, with help from dedicated volunteers, relocated some animals to other conservation centres and sites (or released those suitable), constructed a new centre and all new enclosures, moved over the animals they were taking to the new site, and continued to rescue any animal in need.
In August, they officially moved to the new site, but there's still more to do to transform a formidable slice of rainforest into a world-class sanctuary! Speaking with Volunteer Coordinator Amber, she had this to say about the move and the months that lie ahead:
"Whilst we are thrilled to be fully moved into our new site now, and love seeing our animals thrive in their new huge rainforest enclosures every day - there is still a lot to do here before the site is fully complete! We need all the help from volunteers we can get over the coming 12 months to really help bring the project to completion, as it is still very much a work in progress here and continuous improvements and new enclosures are being built to maximise our reach in terms of rescuing new animals.
It's a very exciting time for any volunteer to join us, as they can say they were involved in the creation of a new, state-of-the-art conservation centre, with facilities bigger and better than any other rescue centre in Southeast Asia. Our huge new enclosures are designed to allow our animals to be fully rehabilitated, and accustomed to living in a rainforest as opposed to a cage like the majority of them are used to after a bad start in life. Our goal is to release as many animals as possible into the wild - many within the Phou Khao Khouay National Park the new site sits on the edge of. We are hoping that these enclosures will encourage our animals how to be "wild" once again - and that we will be able to catch glimpses of some of our released animals actually living wild in the surrounding jungle!"
As Amber emphasised, the next phase is crucial, and you can be part of the sanctuary's new story by joining as a volunteer! Head over to the Laos Wildlife Sanctuary project page to find out how you can shape a positive future for the country's most in-need wildlife.
