Dong Nai, Oct. 5 -- Wild elephants, long regarded as a symbol of strength in nature and closely tied to the culture and belief of many communities in Vietnam, are now facing the real risk of extinction.

The alarming population decline has prompted urgent calls for stronger conservation efforts, with the joint involvement of authorities, local communities, and international experts.

At the 12th meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG), experts warned that elephants are critically threatened and require global cooperation for survival.

Particularly, southern Dong Nai province, which manages over 370,000 hectares of forest with a forest co...