More than 400 people attended the Airavata foundation gala last Saturday at the Sun & Moon Hotel. It was a wonderful evening presided over by HE Dith Tina, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, during which the Minister of Information, HE Neth Pheaktra, strongly encouraged Airavata to continue its work to protect the Kingdom’s elephants.
“It is essential to continue this elephant protection initiative for several reasons. Firstly, there are only around 400 to 600 wild elephants left in Cambodia and 70 domestic elephants living in protected areas, and we must continue to support and promote the activities of the Airavata Foundation,” said the Minister, who became Honorary President of the Foundation at the event, adding:
“Protecting elephants is an important part of managing natural resources and conserving biodiversity. Airavata’s work also helps to develop ecotourism and provide jobs for local communities, so I urge you to support this foundation.”
For her part, Airavata President Chenda Clais expressed her wish to ‘mobilise donors to support the elephants of Ratanakiri Province, which are threatened with extinction’. She also explained that the main aim of the evening was to raise funds, but also to promote the association’s activities to an even wider audience.
The Airavata Foundation was set up in 2015 with the aim of helping to preserve Khmer cultural traditions, in which elephants have been associated since ancient times. In particular, it aims to help prevent the extinction of the small remaining number of domestic elephants in Cambodia and contribute to the promotion of tourism.
As the foundation’s website states:
“Airavata is a place where, above all, we seek balance. Between the Katieng Forest, which shelters and feeds our elephants, and the centre where we work with them on a daily basis, applying the rules set out in the Asian Captive Elephants Standards to the best of our ability, we provide our protégés with healthy, natural living conditions, as well as ongoing interaction with humans based on Cambodian tradition and the teachings of the best experts. Our credo is to restore the elephant to its rightful place, an animal that has done so much for Cambodia, but which almost disappeared because of the wars and genocide of the Khmer Rouge. A country that forgets its history and traditions is a mutilated country; in our small way, we are working to heal these wounds”.
During the evening, guests were treated to a number of performances, including a fashion show featuring Khmer silk outfits and a presentation of the new ‘Mexican cowboy-style’ range. As in the previous edition, Cambodian artist Belle (Silver Dance Company) put on a beautiful performance, this time accompanied by ballerina Camille Clais. Singer and actress Sin Youbin and her troupe then put on a show highlighting the importance of elephants in the culture of the indigenous minorities of Ratanakiri. The series of shows concluded with a performance by the artist SAI.
Photos by Khem Sovannara – AKP
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