Chinese activist artist Ai Weiwei visits elephant camps in Myanmar to raise awareness of jobless logging elephants in crisis

There are almost 5,000 working elephants in Myanmar, more than half employed by state-run Myanmar Timber Enterprise to haul hardwood trees. However, an export ban put 1,000 elephants out of work. Some were killed, others were abandoned or sent to neighbouring countries

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has carved a career out of controversy and activism, the dissident artist’s works that touch on subjects from human rights to corruption often raising the ire of the Chinese government.

Now the Berlin-based artist is getting his hands dirty for another cause. His latest passion project is all about the pachyderm, more specifically Myanmar’s “jobless” working elephants.

Last week Ai Weiwei visited several elephant camps in the country as part of a mission with animal welfare group, Four Paws. According to the Vienna-based organisation, about 2,900 of the almost 5,000 working elephants in Myanmar belong to state-owned enterprises, mostly the Myanmar Timber Enterprise. The rest are in private hands.


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