Sep 125 min read

Destination & Guide : Mondulkiri, the ‘’Encounter of the Hills”

Located in north-east Cambodia, Mondulkiri province is bursting with natural beauty, with its superb landscapes, rolling plateaux, tropical forests and waterfalls.

Saen Monourom, the provincial capital, lies at an altitude of 850 metres. The town is inhabited by ethnic minorities (Stieng, Kraol and Bunong) with animist traditions and ancestral lifestyles. The Bunong have occupied the region for over 2000 years.

The surrounding areas are rich in biodiversity, renowned for their thick forests, rolling hills and picturesque waterfalls. The province is also home to a wealth of wildlife, including endangered species such as the Malayan bear and a number of felines.

It's fun to explore Saen Monourom by bike, on foot or on a scooter. It's a small, quiet town that hasn't yet been hit by mass tourism, like other towns in Cambodia. This makes it very attractive to travellers in search of adventure. The town centre is organised around a market where you can easily find grilled worms and fried tarantulas, fish, meat, vegetables and spices, as well as souvenir shops.

Most people live off the land, planting rice, fruit trees and vegetables. Others grow coffee, strawberries, rubber and cashew nuts. There is also a fairly common production of the famous rice wine, which is one of the best in the country. These ethnic groups also sell handicrafts such as bracelets, necklaces and kramas.

On the way to the elephant sanctuary, the Mondulkiri Project

Since its creation in 2013, the NGO Cambodia Elephant Rescue Organisation has been managing the Mondulkiri Project. Its aim is to safeguard the forest and develop a sanctuary for elephants. Faced with massive deforestation over the last 10 years, the province has lost around 45% of its forest area, mainly due to the trade in precious wood.

The NGO's main activity today consists of organising treks in the jungle and offering a full day in the company of elephants to raise public awareness.

www.mondulkriproject.org

Deforestation is one of the main causes of the near disappearance of elephants The Mondulkiri Project rents a large part of the valley near Saen Monourom from the Bunong minority to house the pachyderms, many of which are nearing the end of their lives. These animals have suffered greatly from tourist activities, such as elephant rides, and from the exploitation of farmers who used them to transport wood and train them for their exceptional strength.

Today in Cambodia, tourists are no longer allowed to ride on the backs of elephants during treks, a practice that will be abandoned in 2020. The funds raised by the NGO not only support this project, but also provide financial assistance to the Bunong people, to limit their economic dependence on the sale of timber, which is partly responsible for deforestation.

There are currently five elephants: Princess, Sophie, Happy, Comvine and Lucky, all females.

Mr Tree, the founder of the NGO, plans to add many more elephants, including a bull to ensure reproduction. He is fighting various battles to preserve the primary forest, supporting the Bunong community and buying back elephants from their owners, victims of violence and mistreatment, to give these pachyderms a new life of peace and freedom in the wild.

Meet the Asian elephants

The Asian elephant is vegetarian. It feeds on a wide variety of plants, including grass, plants, fruit, roots and tubers. It is smaller: 2 to 3.5 m at the withers, compared with 3 to 4 m for its African cousin. It is also lighter, weighing 2 to 5 tonnes compared with 3 to 8 tonnes for the African elephant.

Other distinctive features of the Asian elephant: only the males have prominent tusks. They have depigmentation of the skin in certain areas, such as the trunk and ears. As a result, they have to cover themselves with mud, dust and leaves to protect themselves from the sun and insects. Their backs are also vulnerable because of the pronounced development of spines on their vertebrae. The Asian elephant has been classified as a threatened species since 1986.

Its population has been declining for the last 30 years. According to Cambodia Elephant Rescue, there are around 400 elephants left in Cambodia.

Venture into the heart of the jungle to see elephants in their natural habitat

More than 70% of the elephants living in captivity in Cambodia are found in the Mondolkiri region. Several NGOs, including the Mondolkiri Project, offer trekking and walks with the pachyderms. The idea is to discover the beauty of the jungle while visiting the villages of the region's minorities. Observing and following the elephants in their natural habitat, approaching them to feed and wash them, and learning about their behaviour is an unforgettable experience and a fascinating moment!

The Bunong ethnic community

This indigenous people make their living from agriculture (rice, rubber, cashew, various vegetables), gathering, breeding, fishing and hunting. They live in close symbiosis with their environment. In particular, the forest, which has enabled the Bunongs to survive for over 2,000 years. This ethnic group is also renowned for its elephant training skills. This majority tribe is animist, believing in both the spirits of the forest and the power of the ancestors.

An indigenous and animist people

The Bunong community has always lived on the fringes of society. They are an ethnic minority living in one of Cambodia's least populated provinces, Mondulkiri. Go and meet them, and you will better understand their struggle: the conservation of their heritage. Their ancestral lands are currently being coveted and bought up by multinationals, in particular for the cultivation of rubber trees.

The Bunongs live alongside the animals they keep: buffalo, cows, pigs, poultry, cats and dogs. The traditional dwellings of straw huts are gradually being replaced by pretty wooden houses. They are animists; before eating, they pray to the spirits of the place or the forest, asking them for safety, joy and for everything to go well. They are hard workers and life is quite difficult for the Bunongs.

They work hard, even the oldest, to feed themselves and survive. Traditional medicine is still very much alive among this population, who use a variety of practices, from bonesetters to herbalists, midwives and witch doctors. These professions are often passed down from generation to generation.

Ou Vanndy's sculptures

Ou Vanndy studied art at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh. His sculptures are made from old motorbike parts, cars and weapons that he picks up here and there. To create these works, he draws the plans by hand and shapes the objects piece by piece, welding and forging them together.

The assembly process is very complicated, requiring meticulous attention to detail and patience. The results are spectacular. Or Vanndy imagines original sculptures and gives a second life to unique pieces.

Encouraged by the positive feedback from his fellow Cambodians, he exhibited in museums and fairs and began to acquire a certain reputation. One of his works can be seen at Saen Monourom: a sculpture of an elephant, 2.8 metres high and 3 metres long, made using 800 chainsaws.

additional photographs by Jacques Beaulieu

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