—Who We Are
Who We Are
Founded in 2010 by ElefantAsia NGO (2001 - 2012), ECC built the infrastructure Laos never had for its elephants – from emergency veterinary care to rewilding.
—The people
Our Team
The 66-strong ECC team is composed of Laos' most skilled mahouts, conservationists, veterinarians, biologists and all the support staff our mission requires.
Founders
Sébastien Duffillot
Founder & General Director
Sébastien Duffillot is a French conservationist committed to preserving Asian elephants and their habitats. He spent his early years in Hong Kong and was 6 years old when he first met with an elephant (a baby elephant hit him with its trunk in Thailand!) After earning an MBA from Toulouse Business School in France, he worked in Asia as an advisor at the French Embassy in Bangkok and later as Partner and Managing Director of Kinnary Advertising in Laos. In 2001, he co-founded ElefantAsia, launching initiatives like the Elephant Caravan and the Elephant Festival to raise awareness about Laos’ declining elephant population. He established the Elephant Conservation Center in 2010, a sanctuary for Asian elephants, featuring Laos’ only dedicated Elephant Hospital and operating under his “7Rs” conservation framework: Rescue, Rehabilitate, Reproduce, Reherd, Rewild, Research and Respect. Sebastien is President of “Des Éléphants & Des Hommes” NGO and a member of the IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group.
Inthy Deuansavanh
Co-founder
Inthy Deuansavanh was born in the caves of Vieng Xay during the Vietnam war. He is a pioneering Lao entrepreneur and ecotourism advocate. After studying in the Soviet Union, he returned to Laos, working as a salesman before entering the hospitality industry in 1998 by opening Khop Chai Deu Restaurant in Vientiane. In 2000, he co-founded Wildside, a kayaking and rafting venture, and later established Green Discovery Laos, now a leading adventure tourism company. In 2011, he co-founded the Elephant Conservation Center to protect Asian elephants. As founder and Chairman of the Inthira Group, he oversees eco-conscious hotels, resorts, and restaurants. His efforts have been crucial in positioning Laos as a top destination for adventure and ecotourism while promoting sustainable development.
Gilles Maurer
Co-founder, ElefantAsia
Gilles Maurer is a French conservationist dedicated to Asian elephant protection in Laos. After meeting Sébastien Duffillot during their MBA studies in 1993, he worked on an eco-tourism project in Bokeo Province, Laos, that acquired an elephant, Samly, for forest transport. In 2001, he co-founded ElefantAsia, playing a key role in creating Laos’ National Elephant Database to monitor captive elephants. He later helped establish the Elephant Conservation Center in Sayaboury from 2011 to 2013. After returning to France in 2013, Gilles pursued further studies and earned a Ph.D. He is now a researcher with Beauval Nature, affiliated with the Center for Evolutionary and Functional Ecology (CEFE) in Montpellier. His research focuses on the coexistence between humans and Asian elephants, aiming to understand and promote sustainable ecological, cultural, and economic conditions for their cohabitation.
The ECORE (Education, Conservation & Research) Team
Dr. Anabel Lopez Perez
ECORE Director / Head of Education & Research
Anabel joined the ECC at its inception and has been central to its work ever since. Initially focused on reducing human–elephant interactions, she developed herding protocols that now underpin our rewilding programme. A biologist new to Asian elephants on arriving in Laos, she is now a recognised behaviour expert collaborating with institutions including the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Elephant Care International and the IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group, and earned a PhD from Chiang Mai University in 2025.
Dr. Moukthida Vilasith
Head Veterinarian
Moukthida Vilasith is a wildlife veterinarian at the ECC, supporting its breeding, rewilding, and veterinary programmes. She has trained with institutions including the Denver Zoo and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, developing skills in laboratory and fieldwork. Alongside her clinical role, she contributes to youth education across Laos and represents ECC at events organised by Econox and the Anoulak Association.
Kan Thissamone
Elephant Manager & Vet Technician
Kan worked for several years with ElefantAsia NGO as a veterinary technician, providing first aid to elephants injured on logging sites through mobile veterinary clinics. After the NGO's projects were autonomised in 2012, he joined the Elephant Conservation Center to help establish Laos' first Elephant Hospital. Today he oversees elephant nutrition, mahout coordination, and veterinary care, and is widely respected across the regional Asian elephant conservation community.
Anthony Philippe
Site Manager
Anthony Philippe, French eco-volunteer, adventurer and documentary filmmaker, co-founded Around the Rock with Céline Gibert. In the 2010's, after leaving a conventional life in Alençon, he set off overland to assist wildlife sanctuaries and underfunded NGOs, tracking snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan and protecting Gobi bears in Mongolia. Settled in Laos in 2015, he is Site Manager at the Elephant Conservation Center, overseeing logistics, security, HR and operations, and coordinating ECC's flagship "Kids in Conservation" educational programme.
Pavina Chaleunsouk
Veterinarian
Pavina is a wildlife veterinarian at the ECC, where she supports its breeding, rewilding, and veterinary programmes. Prior to joining ECC, she completed an internship at the Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife, gaining hands-on experience with diverse wildlife species. She has further developed her expertise through training with the Denver Zoo and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. She is also actively involved in youth education initiatives across Laos.
Jamie Russell
Biologist
Jamie Russell is a wildlife biologist at the ECC. He supports elephant management, rehabilitation, research, and breeding programs, and contributes to education through talks and outreach. Jamie holds a BSc in Animal Behaviour from Indiana University Bloomington. He has a background in avian fieldwork, having worked on migration monitoring, breeding behaviour surveys, and raptor research across the United States. His experience in behavioural data collection supports the ECC's efforts in improving elephant welfare.
—Protecting Lao Elephants Since 2001
Our Story
Over Two Decades of Dedication
From a 1,300-kilometre walk across Laos to a working hospital, an endocrinology lab and a rewilding record – ECC’s story is one of steadily turning awareness into action and infrastructure. Here are the milestones that mattered most.
- 2001
ElefantAsia NGO founded by Sébastien Duffillot & Gilles Maurer
- 2002
The Elephant Caravan: 1,300 km across Laos to investigate elephants' disapearance
- 2006–2012
Mobile elephant libraries and Mobile elephant clinics
- 2010
Elephant Conservation Center founded; opens to the public in 2011
- 2012
ElefantAsia’s Lao programmes autonomised
- 2018
13 elephants confiscated from an international trafficking ring by Prime Minister; 12 sent to ECC
- 2019
Laos’ first successful elephant rewilding operation: 4 elephants released into Nam Pouy National Protected Area
- 2019
Laos’ first Elephant Endocrinology Laboratory established at ECC to study reproductive hormones
- 2021
ECC’s founder and Head of Research & Education both join the IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group
- 2023
First International Veterinary Workshop held at ECC
- 2024
Launch of ECORE – Education, Conservation & Research – Research Campus at ECC
- 2025
WILDMED Mobile Elephant Veterinary Clinic launched
Timeline
Protecting Elephants Since 2001
—In the press
Media & Press
Fourteen quotes on file — Le Monde, Lonely Planet, The Guardian, The Diplomat, El País and more. Annual reports as PDFs. A research archive for the studies.
“Ici (…) les éléphants vivent en paix.”
Le Monde
“ECC is a bright light in an increasingly dark landscape for wildlife conservation in the region”
Lonely Planet
“The ECC breeding program seeks to (re)create sustainable breeding populations in the wild”
The Diplomat
“El Centro de Conservación de Elefantes es un brote verde en medio del turismo convencional”
El País
“One of the world’s best places to see elephants”
Wanderlust
“Lao’s only sanctuary that offers an undisturbed natural environment with professional staff and world-class facilities”
We Are Lao
“An innovative project to utilise Laos’ elephant experts in service of protecting the country’s natural treasures”
Geographical
“The ECC team are now working towards their rewilding goal”
The Telegraph UK
“Meet and interact with elephants the ethical way at the Elephant Conservation Center”
The Independent
“Elephant Conservation Center sets a sustainable example”
The Outdoor Journal
“The local mahouts genuinely care for their elephants’ survival”
The Outdoor Journal
“Quote to come.”
The Guardian
“Quote to come.”
Source
“Quote to come.”
Source
Reports & research
Annual Report 2023
Download the latest full report — more years to follow.
Annual reports
Further years ready to upload here as PDFs.
Research archive
Link to ECC’s published studies — list to come.