The Elephant King of Cambodia

Nov 1, 2010

“I want wild elephants and local communities to live together in harmony. Protecting and conserving elephants means we also provide home for other species to live.” – Tuy Sereivathana

One man’s mission to save Cambodia’s elephants

Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com
May 17, 2010

SOURCE: http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0517-hance_tuy.html

“Since winning the prestigious 2010 Goldman Environmental Prize in Asia, Tuy Sereivathana has visited the US and Britain, even shaking hands with US President Barack Obama, yet in his home country of Cambodia he remains simply ‘Uncle Elephant’. A lifelong advocate for elephants in the Southeast Asian country, Sereivathana’s work has allowed villagers and elephants to live side-by-side. Working with Fauna and Flora International (FFI) he has successfully brought elephant-killing in Cambodia to an end. As if this were not enough, Sereivathana has helped curb the destruction of forests in his native country and built four schools for children who didn’t previously have formal education opportunities.”

Rest rest of article at: http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0517-hance_tuy.html

The elephant king

SOURCE: http://www.theage.com.au/

Ben Doherty
July 31, 2010

THEIR time in the Oval Office was up, and US President Barack Obama was already halfway out the door when Tuy Sereivathana took his chance.”Sorry, Mr President,” he said, causing the leader of the free world to turn on his heel. ”You forget my name card,” he said, politely proffering same.

Obama carefully read the card. And then he took it with him.

So somewhere in the White House lurks a business card for the man known in Cambodia as ”Uncle Elephant”, a man who has dedicated his life to saving the animals from extinction in his native country.

To call back a president shows rare poise, even more remarkable in a man who speaks English as his third language, who was schooled secretly reading illegal textbooks hidden from the Khmer Rouge, and who spends the best of his days in the jungles of Cambodia.

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