2009, Encounters, Laos Selection

Hin giving the bath to Tombac – Laos

Hin giving the bath to Tombac - LaosHin giving the bath to Tombac – Laos

The Lao Loum (one of the 68 ethnic groups present in Laos) maintains traditional relationships with the elephants.
Each elephant belongs to an animal trainer (Cornac) and this exclusive relationship lasts most of their lives.
Here the Cornac Hin gives a bath to Tombac, a 35 years old elephant female

Coral, Underwater Pictures from France

Spirographe (Spirographis spallanzani), Mediterranean sea

Spirographe (Spirographis spallanzani), Mediterranean seaSpirographe (Spirographis spallanzani), Mediterranean sea

The Spirograph is a sea worm living in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Atlantic Ocean and in the North Sea.
This animal, living and fixed on a rock wall, can be seen up to 40 meters deep in the water. Being able to measure up to 35 centimeters long, this animal deploys from its mouth a feather duster of filaments enabling to catch its food and some air. The stem of this sea flower is in reality a tube made out of mucus and sand by the worm.

2009, Laos Selection

Elephant riding, laos

Elephant riding, laosElephant riding, laos

Laos was formerly before as « the country with millions of elephants ». Today we estimate at 2000 the number of elephants still living in Laos. Among these elephants, 800 live in the wild which represents one of the most important populations of elephants in the region, while 1200 are domesticated. Those ones have been, for a long time, used to work in felling trees and agriculture, but they have been replaced by machines since then.
However, some Cornacs (animal trainer) attempt to keep on proposing the services of their elephants for work, while some others prefer to use the elephants in the tourism field (Trek on the back of elephants…).