Winkabaw Camp needs milk for orphaned baby elephants

If you decide to go on a weekend excursion to Winkabaw Elephant Orphanage Camp in Bago Region, it would greatly help bringing along a pack or two of milk powder for its voracious baby pachyderm residents, a senior camp official appealed.

U Myint Soe, officer in charge of Winkabaw Elephant Camp told The Myanmar Times last week, that his seven wards each consumes between two to three bags of milk powder daily.

“There are no regular donations. We just receive K1000 to K4000 per day. And if you ask whether donations (of milk powder) could be used, I’d say they are always needed,” said U Myint Soe.

“The calves must be protected and cared like orphan kids,” he added.

Since opening last year, it has cared for seven orphaned baby elephants, of which two are domesticated and five are wild. Because they need to be fed milk powder, a donation box has been placed at the camp for donations, U Myint Soe said.

“They (baby elephants) are marked with numbers. No.1 needs 3 bags of 600 grammes a day. Others need 2 bags. A 600g milk powder bag costs around K10,000 and K16,000 for 800g,” he said.

Among its seven wards, two were domestic ones and arrived at the camp after their mother died and the five wild ones just escaped from the hands of elephant poachers in Ayeyarwady Region.

Five attendants take care of the seven orphans in the camp and although there is no difficulty in taking care of the calves, it is necessary to be careful as they can’t be hurt, according to U Myint Soe.

Aside from the orphan baby elephants, there are more than 10 elephants in Winkabaw.

Winkabaw Elephant Camp opened in 2016 and is located at Bayargyi-Bawnakgyi Road, 22.5 kilometres north of Bago and about 6.5 kilometres west of Bayargyi township.

“Most baby elephants were left at the camp after their mothers were killed and they cannot live like a normal wild elephants. So, we have to take care as much as we can. When they are adults they can find their own food but we need to train them to stay naturally,’’ said Dr Myo Min Aung, a veterinarian.’’

Visitors can closely watch how the baby elephants are being taken cared by their attendants.

“During school days, about 20 to 30 people visit the orphanage but during holidays, hundreds of people come here,” U Myint soe said.

The camp is open daily from 7am to 6pm. Those who want to visit can contact 09-431 216 47, 09-778 132 360 and 09-250 90 80.

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Baby elephant rescued by Myanma Forestry Department in Pathein

A baby elephant was rescued by officials from the Myanma Forestry Department and Myanma Timber Enterprise in Pathein Township, Ayeyawady Region on Wednesday. The elephant was found trapped near jagged rocks in Phoe Lwun Creek in the Chaungtha forest and rescued and brought to Ngaleintalel Village in Pathein.

Officials from the Myanma Forestry Department are nursing the baby elephant back to health and will eventually return it to its mother.

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Wingabaw receives another baby elephant

Yet another orphaned elephant has arrived at Wingabaw Elephant Camp, located in Bago Region.

The recently orphaned 5 months old baby elephant, nicknamed “Pan Nu May” which loosely translates into “flower girl”, is the fourth orphan the elephant preservation camp had taken in.

Pan Nu May’s mother had passed away from old age but the other three baby elephants weren’t so lucky with their parents having been hunted down by poachers.

“The latest baby elephant amongst us is Pan Nu May, and she’s from Dawei. It has been around two weeks since her mother died. There is one called Mary, named so because she came to us on Christmas Day, and she was found amongst a pack of cattle in Ayeyawady Region. Poachers got to her mother and skinned the poor creature. Another elephant called Ayeyarmay was given to us by a farmer couple who had taken care of her since she was found alone and lost in the forest. The last one, Yu Yu Htay, was sent to us from Nay Pyi Taw when the mother died from stomach flu. We have to rely on milk powder because all four are still at a milking age,” said a Wingabaw Elephant Camp staff member.

Wingabaw opened in November 2016 and now attracts around 400 visitors per week.

Locals pay Ks 5,000 for entry, while foreigners pay Ks 20,000.

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