Blog: The Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife: how we are working to save wildlife in Laos

Dedicated to species native to Laos, Amber Flewitt takes us through the work of Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife, and even designing a new conservation centre from scratch: 

My name is Amber and I am the Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator for the Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife (LCTW), based in Laos, SE Asia. Whilst we are clearly not a BIAZA institution, we are on the frontline of nature conservation and rehabilitation in one of the world’s hotspots for both biodiversity and illegal wildlife trade.

Some of you may recognize me as being a previous Trustee for BIAZA in 2023, as well as working in both Chester Zoo and Knowsley Safari beforehand. I made the transition to work directly with endangered species in their native habitat earlier this year, but I am keen to use the support network of BIAZA to help strengthen the links between in-situ and ex-situ conservation.

LCTW was founded in 2018, after taking over the old Lao Zoo site. It transitioned from being a place where exotic animals were showcased to the Lao general public, to being a registered charity which rescues any species native to Laos, with the aim of rehabilitating and releasing them to the wild wherever possible.

We provide sanctuary to many animals who are unreleasable for various reasons, we educate the local communities on conservation issues, we employ local people in order to foster a greater appreciation for wildlife within the local areas and provide income to local families, and we work closely with the Lao Government to provide training for their staff in order to facilitate rescues safely. We also run the only free hotline within Laos for people to report instances of wildlife crime, and have a dedicated member of staff on hand 24/7 to respond and arrange rescues.

As the first Lao registered organization in the country to take in all species native to Laos, we are crucial to the survival of many animals, both on the individual and species level. We are currently home to over 200 animals including bears, Siamese crocodiles, primates, binturong and various chelonians.

In 2023, we received the shocking news that we were being evicted from our site at the old Lao Zoo by the Government. We had only 18 months to find, secure, fundraise, build and move into a new site.

Despite this being a huge shock and drain on our limited funds, we did manage this and in July 2024 we moved fully into our new site. This came with the bonus of allowing us to design a new conservation center from scratch, something which not many people can say they have been a part of.

This allowed us to design the center fully with the animals needs in mind. The new site is based on the edge of the Phou Khao Khouay National Park, which acts as an excellent location for soft release of our animals. Our new center really is like none-other – especially in this part of the world. Our primates are all housed in huge, completely natural enclosures of at least 80m x 80m, allowing them to fully adapt to “wild” life before they are released, maximizing their chances of survival in the wild.

We have a large mixed species educational enclosure at the entrance to our site housing several unreleasable animals – this serves as a forefront for educating the local people and foreign visitors about the plight of these animals, whilst inspiring a connection to them through the unique viewing experience. This enclosure allows gibbons to swing freely above visitors’ heads on a rope bridge, and travel down to be viewed at eye level with nothing but an artificial wetland in between. The wetland has been created to increase the natural biodiversity at the sight, as well as acting as a natural filter for our mixed species turtle enclosure. This enclosure houses critically endangered turtles who are now used as breeding specimens to restock the wild population with their offspring.

We also recently received the results of genetic testing back to confirm that we have 75 pure Siamese crocodiles, which we believe is the largest or one of the largest captive populations of this species in the world. This breeding group is vital for the species survival – with less than 100 thought to exist in Laos, all their offspring will be released to the wild when they are big enough.

Whilst moving 75 adult crocodiles to a new site wasn’t the easiest task we have ever attempted, it meant we could excavate all the nests this year and safely remove the eggs, which has never been possible before. We were lucky enough to have dozens of these eggs hatch in our hands, which truly was an incredible experience. These babies will be raised over the next two years before being released into the wild to help reinforce existing Siamese crocodile populations.

Whilst work is still very much in progress here at LCTW to finalize our new site (this probably won’t be complete for upwards of 3 years), the progress we have seen in such a short space of time is truly astounding. Despite having to focus on the move all year, we have still been able to breed and release dozens of critically endangered animals, and rescue over 22 species already this year, most of which have been successfully released already.

The move has taught us all a lot, and it has also provided excellent opportunities for studying our animals like never before. I have been trying to connect to organizations and researchers alike who might wish to collaborate with us to make the most of these incredibly unique opportunities for research, so if this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please do reach out and I’d be happy to assist.

I fully believe that the one-plan approach to conservation is the key to success in this field, and by supporting and working with smaller organizations that might not be accredited, a world of difference may be made at the species level and onwards.

- Amber Flewitt, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator at Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife

All blogs reflect the views of their author and are not necessarily a reflection of BIAZA's positions