Country whose national animal is the elephant (4)

I believe the answer is:

laos

(Other definitions for laos that I've seen before include "Country of Indo-China, capital Vientiane" , "SE Asian country" , "Republic in southeastern Asia" , "Country between Thailand/Vietnam" , "Landlocked state in southeastern Asia" .)

I've seen this clue in The New York Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.