Out of more than 6,000 elephants in Myanmar, about 3,200 state-owned elephants are kept in 23 elephant protection camps, and measures are being taken to release them into the wild, according to Dr Zaw Min Oo, Assistant General Manager of Myanma Timber Enterprise.
“In Myanmar, there are two kinds of elephants – domesticated and wild. Over 3,200 domesticated elephants are State-owned, and about 1,500 private-owned. State-owned elephants are kept at 23 tourism-based elephant protection centres across the country. There are also nearly 2,000 wild elephants living in flocks in the forest,” said Dr Zaw Min Oo.
He added that, in the past, there were complaints by the world’s elephant conservation groups, saying that the elephants were tied up. Therefore, the elephants are now equipped with electronic devices to walk in the pastures as they are naturally herded and monitored by cameras.
Elephants in Myanmar belong to the category of Asian elephants, and they are protected as they are endangered animals. — ASH/TKO
