Elephantine attraction opens up in Yangon

It’s not often that a story about elephant tusks goes viral, but that’s what happened last week.

An article in the media about the tusks of a sadan (royal) elephant being on display at the Elephant Museum spread like wildfire on social media, due to a mistaken belief that the tusks concerned were from the royal elephant mentioned in the Jataka tales, body of literature concerning the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form.

In fact, the tusks at the centre of attention were from a royal white elephant named Nivana pitsaya Naga Raja from the Konbaung dynasty.

Myanmar kings adored and valued white elephants as revered symbols of power and good fortune. Nivana pitsaya Naga Raja was captured in the forest of Bago Yoma during the reign of King Bodawphayar in 1806.

The white elephant was the royal elephant over the rule of five kings, from King Bodawphyar to King Mindon, a span of 51 years. When the elephant died in 1857, its tusks were removed and displayed in front of the palace.

However, the tusks were taken to England after the exile of the last monarch of Myanmar in 1885 and were only returned to Myanmar in 1965.

Before the tusks were moved to the newly opened Elephant Museum located in the grounds of the Yangon Zoo, they were on display at the Natural History Museum also located in the zoo.

The tusks are now on display Myanmar's first elephant museum, which opened on Sunday in conjunction with World Wildlife day.

The new museum offers plenty of information on the evolution of elephants, how they were relied on and revered in Myanmar, and the roles the animals played in religious events.

Beyond history, the museum also educates visitors about the threats the animals face today due to habitat and food sources shrinking, conflict with humans, and poaching for tusks and parts in illegal trade.

The museum has a wonderful displays of ancient elephant fossils, elephant-handling equipment, radio collars and camera traps used in elephant conservation, and now illegal and restricted objects made from elephants ivory and bones, rare black ivory, elephant's body parts.

“Currently, wild elephants are being illegally poached and killed by selfish and senseless humans,” said U Own Win, Union Minister Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.

“Even though we and relevant authorities have been working together to protect elephants and take legal action against poaching, they are still being killed. The opening of this museum will help educate people about the needs for conserving our treasured elephant species".

Myanmar has the second-highest number of elephants in Asia, after India.

The stated objectives of the museum are to protect and conserve wild elephants in natural forest areas, to reduce elephant and human conflict, to create awareness among the public and to let public join in efforts to tackle the killing of wild elephants.

“This museum doesn't mean that we have given up hope for elephants in the wild. It is meant educate students and children about how elephants are threatened in the wild and help to reverse the tide,” said U Saw Htoo Tha Po, an expert with the Wildlife Conservation Society of Myanmar.

The elephant museum will be a part of the Natural Historyl Museum in the Yangon Zoological Gardens.

The museum is open every day of the week and entry will be free until May.

The museum run by the Forest Department was set up with financial and technical support from WWF- Myanmar.

“People have been flocking here since the doors opened" said U Myo Kyaw Thu, manager of the Yangon Zoological Gardens.

There are currently some 1500 wild elephants and between 3000 and 5000 domesticated elephants in Myanmar.

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