King Bao Dai's Elephant Hunts in Vietnam's Central Highlands and Tales of Weeping Elephants

On the misty shores of Lak Lake in Vietnam's Central Highlands, echoes of King Bao Dai's legendary elephant hunts persist in the memories of the M'nong people. The former royal villa, perched on a hill overlooking the lake, stands as a silent witness to these bygone eras.

Local guides share tales of the king's passion for big game hunting, particularly elephants. The area around Lak Lake was once a vast 'elephant field' for Bao Dai, where domesticated elephants, used for transport and hunting, were kept. The grounds of the villa still hold remnants of this past, including weathered hunting ropes and black-and-white photographs depicting hunting parties with their elephant quarry.

According to oral histories, King Bao Dai did not hunt elephants for meat. Instead, his primary objective was capturing young elephants to be tamed and trained as working animals. These expeditions were elaborate affairs, often involving dozens of mahouts and domesticated elephants carrying supplies and equipment for week-long hunts in the dense forests surrounding the Sin mountain range.

Elderly residents recall the dangerous nature of hunting wild elephants. The strategy involved using trained elephants to intimidate and separate young calves from their herds, making them easier to capture and domesticate. These stories, passed down through generations, paint a vivid picture of a unique intersection of royal sport, local culture, and the formidable wildlife of the Central Highlands.