Manchaung Elephant camp to open near Shwesettaw Pagoda

MAGWAY-With intention to attract foreign tourists, Manchaung Elephant Camp will be opened in conjunction with the Shwesettaw Pagoda festival on February 9th, says Myint Zaw, Natural Resources Minister from Magway Region Government Committee.

The Elephant camp is located near Shwesettaw Pagoda in Magway region and there will be 15 elephants while over 70% of construction work had been reportedly completed.

The camp aims to attract not only global tourists but also local visitors during the Shwesettaw Pagoda festival.

“The visitors can closely observe the nature of elephants and how the elephants are being trained and practiced by their attendants. Moreover, the visitors can see the scenery of the mountains and streams,” said Myint Zaw.

“There will be 15 elephants in the camp. Among them, 12 elephants are grown enough to ride. We are going to give rest for elder elephant, mother/infant pair and a pregnant elephant. The aim of the camp is elephant conservation based tourism. Magway Region Government Committee had built the elephant camp aiming to build relationship between elephants and people as well as creating job opportunities for the locals,” said Aung Ko Ko Htet, second-in charge of the camp.

He added that even though there was no special guest house ready for foreigners, if they would visit the camp right after opening, there are plans to arrange for convenient accommodations.

At present, temporary guest houses are being built in the camp and the entrance fee will be between Ks1,000 per person and Ks 5,000 per person. An elephant ride will last for one trip around the camp.

Pilgrims coming to the Shwesettaw Pagoda will have to visit the elephant camps withthe aim to ride the elephants.

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New elephant camp will be opened in Magway

A new elephant camp will be opened in Myanmar's Magway region next month as a wildlife-based tourist destination and a wildlife conservation centre, Xinhua reported quoting state media.

The 3.24-hectare elephant camp to be inaugurated on Feb. 9 will feature bungalows, mess halls, elephant houses plus a 283-hectare grazing ground and a 48.6-hectare vacant and virgin land to build a public place and grow trees.

Visitors will be able to ride elephants and rest at the camp which will have 11 bungalows equipped with all necessary facilities and a food stall run by the camp staff.

So far, the camp has seven elephants and the number is set to increase to 15 later.

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Kennedy Elephant Camp to be established in Kachin State

“The aim of opening the elephant camp here is to ignite love for the natural environment, to be more intimate with elephants, to cherish elephants more and let people know more about elephants such as the way they live as well as encourage protecting nature. We are preparing to open up Kennedy Elephant Camp before Christmas,” said Toe Chit Hmu Paing, an in-charge of the elephant camp.

The Kennedy Elephant Camp will be located in Khing Kame-Painpi Road (locally known as nine mile Kyauk Talone), 9 miles away from Kalay in the Sagaing Region.

“Visitors can feed elephants and ride on them. There will be places for rest and recreation as well as restaurants. There is a pool built aside the river so that visitors can play in that pool. The main attraction of the camp is the beautiful scenery such as Rope Bridge, the river and the Kennedy Valley,” continued Toe Chit Hmu Paing. Entrance fees, cost of elephant rides and other charges will be set soon. There are also plans to attract visitors in the coming rainy season.

The camp is located on the way to Kennedy Mountain. Above the elephant camp lies Painpi Village which means tourists can visit there as well as other nearby Chin villages.

The incumbent government has banned timber extraction and as a result of this ban, elephant camps under the management of Myanma Timber Enterprise have been and will be turned into elephant-based tourism centres to provide a source of income for “mahouts” - elephant handlers, as well as work for the elephants.

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Elephant camp to be built near popular pagoda in Magwe

A Conservation-based elephant tourism project will be set up near Mann Shwe Set Taw (The Golden Footprints) pagoda in Magwe Region, U Myint Zaw, regional minister of Resources, Environment, Electricity and Energy, said.

The camp, the first of its kind in Magwe, is tentatively set to open by February 13, in conjunction with the Mann Shwe Set Taw pagoda festival, U Myint Zaw said.

“We’re building it with the region’s money after obtaining permission from the Myanmar government. We hope to have it running in time for the festival,” he said.

Mann Creek will run through part of the elephant camp, which is being built near Thanpayar Gai village on the road to the pagoda.

It will be built on an estimated 48.5 hectares of land, U Myint Sein, head of Magwe’s Hotels and Tourism Department, said.

“We will plant perennial plants and hardwood trees on 24 hectares in the camp, and we will negotiate for 283 hectares of land outside of Padaung-Pyawbwe reserve for use as pasture,” U Myint Sein said.

The government is trying to develop nature-based tourism to boost the area’s economy, said U Myint Zaw.

“If we can offer tourists a unique experience combining culture, nature and elephants, this area could become famous throughout the country,” U Myint Sein said.

Magwe has 204 elephants used in logging, and the government expects good results from the project as activity slows in the industry.

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Number of local visitors increases at Nat Pauk elephant camp

The number of local visitors has significantly increased at Nat Pauk elephant camp, which was opened in 2008 in Indaw Township, Katha District, Sagaing Region. Since 2016, Nat Pauk camp has been entertaining visitors with elephant shows, said Dr. Htoo Htoo Aung, the doctor in charge of Nat Pauk elephant camp.

“The number of visitors started to increase in October. If there are only a few visitors, we operate elephant shows with only nine elephants. We also reserve some elephants for those visitors who want to ride them. We have some other costs for the elephants, so we just run elephant shows with nine elephants. The remaining 13 elephants are kept at another elephant camp, which is one mile from Nat Pauk elephant camp. Initially, the camp operated the elephant shows for only foreign visitors, but since November 2016 we have been holding elephant shows for local visitors, as well,” said Dr. Htoo Htoo Aung.

Also, the camp has planted Navier grass on 1.5 acres of land, in a bid to become self-sufficient in feeding their 22 elephants, he added. Nat Pauk elephant camp is a natural habitat in Phat Sout forest reserve 33 in Indaw Township, which is drawing the attention of tourists.

Nat Pauk elephant camp was opened for visitors to watch elephants in their natural surroundings, as well as for local residents to earn an income from visitor arrivals.

Recently, the camp was unable to provide accommodations for overnight tourists, Dr. Htoo Htoo Aung said.

Myo Win Tun (Monywa)

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Villagers in sanctuary learn to live with, protect wild elephants

On his way to the field, U Pyone Cho unexpectedly met a wild elephant but was too surprised to do anything.

Before he knew it, the beast had picked him up with its trunk, and he thought it was the end for him. But he held on to the trunk with all the strength he could muster and the wild elephant threw him into a bush quite far away. Desperate to ward off the elephant, he took out some firecrackers he had with him and lit them.

“Both of us ran away from each other,” U Pyone Cho recalled, laughing, and he only suffered a sprained back from the encounter.

U Pyone Cho lives in Kun Thi Myaung village in Taikkyi township, Yangon Region. The village – a drive of over three hours from Yangon city – is near Bago Yoma Sanctuary, which is home to wild elephants.

With about 100 houses, the peaceful and quiet village on the way to Myaing Hay Wun Elephant Camp is surrounded by dragon fruit, sugar cane and mango orchards.

The village is a hotspot of human-elephant conflict, and villagers admit they are always worried about the possibility of encountering the jungle giants while working in their fields or heading home.

Residents said wild elephants usually enter the village at night to eat in the paddy fields. Sometimes, they forage for food at villagers houses.

“We just watch them when they get into the sugar-cane because we dare not drive them out. Our farm hut has a watchtower on top of a tree where we have to sleep all night,” said farmer U Thein Aung.

Five years ago, a villager was killed by a wild elephant when he tried to confront it and drive it away, according to U Thein Zaw, another villager.

Years of elephant incursions have made the villagers careful. Usually when elephants enter their fields, they do not confront them but frighten them by setting off firecrackers, which send the beasts scampering back into the jungle.

Villagers usually carry firecrackers when they venture into the forest in case they encounter wild elephants.

The Emergency Elephant Response Unit (EERU) at the elephant camp also helps in preventing human-elephant conflict as well as poaching by installing radio collars around the elephants’ necks to track them.

The World Wildlife Fund-Myanmar helps the unit with patrols and conservation work. Once an elephant is monitored venturing outside the sanctuary, a team from the unit is dispatched to drive the elephants back to the protected area.

Near Bago Yoma, there are about 10 villages, including Kun Thi Myaung, where human-elephant conflicts occur, said U Maung Maung Chay, leader of the unit.

The unit protects the villagers and keeps a close watch on the movement of the elephants. They also protect the beasts from poachers.

“We follow the elephants and take care of them as if the elephants belonged to us. When we find suspected poachers, we contact the authorities and we keep monitoring. The hunters do not dare to come near the elephants. The village administrators phone us if the wild elephants enter a village. If they are in a normal mood, we go there and turn them away by setting off firecrackers or shouting. If the elephants do not run away, we call in the kumkis (decoy elephants) of the EERU,” he said.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Win Tun of the forest security force said they conduct daily patrols to prevent human-elephant conflicts and to stop poachers.

“In the sanctuary, humans are invading the habitat of the elephants, chopping down trees and planting crops. This leads to less grazing area for the elephants, so they go into the fields of the villagers,” said U Win Tun.

The officer added that elephants also enter villages to escape poachers who hunt them in the forest.

Cooperation between the villagers near Bago Yoma, law enforcement and conservationists has increased recently, resulting in fewer elephant killings.

EERU patrols have started in the regions and states of Ayeyarwady, Bago, Sagaing, Magwe, Mandalay, Rakhine, and Nay Pyi Taw.

“The police, Forestry [Department], timber businesses, local government officials and village groups have joined hands to stop the poaching of elephants,” said U Zaw Min Oo, manager of the Myanma Timber Enterprise.

While locals are afraid of the elephants, they don’t want the beasts to go extinct, villager U Maung Maung Chay said, adding that villagers have learned to avoid elephants.

He cited the example of one stubborn wild elephant that always intrudes into villages. The villagers fondly call it “Jeep Car” because it moves very fast.

“He doesn’t stay in the forest much. He lives near the village. He has been tranquilised and released in Myauksamari Sanctuary twice, but he always returns here,” said U Maung Maung Chay.

Villagers urged the government and conservationists to help them set up electric fences around their fields so elephants do not destroy their crops.

“If we can grow crops in protected fields,” U Thein Aung said, “people will have food and will help protect the elephants from poachers.”

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Elephant camp to be opened in Bagan-Nyaung Oo

Bagan-A new elephant camp will be opened near the Palin village in Nyaung Oo Township, Mandalay Region on March 28 according to assistant general manager of Myanmar Timber Enterprise Than Soe Oo.
The new elephant camp is 5 mile distant from Nyaung Oo near Ayeyarwaddy River. As the timber production has nearly stopped, an elephant camp has been introduced to give awareness on environmental conservation, to cherish wild life, to provide elephants and staff when they are temporarily resting from their duties and to create job opportunities for the locals in the region.
“We are planning to open on March 28. There will be 4 elephants there. We also showcase elephant’s taming show, and there will be a restaurant. We are doing our best to open in time,” said Than Soe Oo.
The camp is situated on 4.18 acres wide. From there, local and foreign visitors can enjoy sunrise and sunset views of Ayeyarwaddy River. The entrance fee is Ks.1000 for a person and Ks.5000 each for elephant ride. For foreigners, it will cost Ks.20, 000 per person.
Myanmar Timber Enterprise is opening three elephant camps in Kathar and Mawleik in Sagaing Region and currently Palin Kantharyar camp.

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Myanmar to open elephant camps in central regions

YANGON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities have planned to open three elephant camps in Mandalay and Magway regions by April, before the fall of water festival, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Wednesday.

 The three elephant camps include Pulin Kanthayar elephant camp housing seven elephants in Nyaung-U, War Nat elephant camp with six elephants in Pyin-Oo-Lwin, Mandalay region and Shwe Sattaw camp with six elephants in Magway region, respectively.

Meanwhile, Myanmar Timber Enterprise and Four Paws International (EPI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for establishing elephant camps and conservation of elephants with the use of 1.8 million Euros (2.1 million U.S. dollars).

At present, the implementation of elephant camp-based tourism was initiated by the Myanmar Timber Enterprise since 2016, establishing a total of 16 elephant camps so far.


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Elephant camp opens in Dr Brandis’s teak plantation in Pyay

An elephant camp has opened in Dr Brandis’s teak plantation on Yangon-Pyay road in Pyay Township in west Bago region. 

 

The teak plantation was first devised by Dr Dietrich Brandis, a German-British forester, in 1857. The plantation started with 511 teak plants and in 1960, it covered 78 acres with 3,503 teak plants.  

 

Tun Tun Oo, deputy general-manager of Bago region Forest Department, said: “In the past, no one was allowed to enter the camp. Now we have opened the camp in order that the people can visit the nature of plants and enjoy elephant riding.

 

“This plantation was established after the British captured lower Myanmar in the Anglo-Burmese War. This is the first man-made teak plantation, and visitors can enjoy seeing the biggest teak tree here.”

 

Tin Min Oo, assistant general-manager of Pyay District Forest Department, said: “We will open the elephant camp in order for visitors to enjoy the nature of teak trees.”

Fees for a short elephant-ride tour will be K5,000 and, for a long trip, K10,000

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Elephant camp in Mandalay aims to emulate Thai tourism success

The first elephant camp providing tourist attractions opened in Pyin Oo Lwin township, Mandalay Region, on Saturday.

Myanma Timber Enterprise, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental

Conservation, opened the Dee Doke Waterfall Elephant Camp nine miles from Ye Ywar Hydro Power Project Road near Kyauk Chaw Vullage.

It will start welcoming tourists soon, said U Nandar Soe, deputy general manager of Pyin Oo Lwin Timber Production Area, on Saturday.

“We have made this a pilot project on how to live in harmony with elephants in nature. Thailand started to attract travellers with elephants that can draw pictures, and we will try to achieve that same level. We have been making preparations for the past four months,” he said.

The camp is aimed at helping elephants and staff who previously worked in the timber industry because the government has reduced timber production. It also aims to create income from elephant-related tourism, said U Nandar Soe.

“The camp covers 74 acres. We also have an estimated 100 acres for grazing land. We currently have only six elephants, and we can only add four more because of the limited grazing area,” he said.

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Myanmar to open new elephant camp in Mandalay

Myanmar authorities have planned to open one more elephant camp in Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay region by the end of this year, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Saturday.

The camp covers 29.9 hectares of land and the arrangements for safe elephant rides are also underway.

The average age of the six elephants are between 10 and 17 years old, excluding an elder one which is 55 years old.

It will cost 3.6 U.S. dollars for local vacationers and 14 U.S. dollars for foreign visitors for riding elephant.

Meanwhile, Myanmar Timber Enterprise and Four Paws International (FPI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for establishing elephant camps and conservation of elephants with the use of 1.8 million euros.

Elephant camps have been set up in Wingabaw, Hmawyawgyi, Nathmaw, Pawlangyaintba, Wawma, Warphyutaung, Natmauk, Chaungtha, Kyarzwe and Mokekha.

According to the Hotels and Tourism department, Mandalay region has received 374,221 foreign visitors, mostly from China, Thailand and France.

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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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Elephant camp reopens for travel season

The Nathmaw elephant camp.

The highest earning elephant camp in Bago Region reopened yesterday for the travel season.

The Nathmaw camp in Pyay District opened for the first time between December and March and earned over Ks26 million. The elephants are reportedly released to the Bago Range during the rainy season when visitors are fewer in number.

Htun Htun Oo, deputy general manager of the Bago Region timber enterprise, said: “The camp is near the ports and its service fee is lower than that of other camps. So we can say it is the highest earning elephant camp in the country.”

Visitors can ride the elephants around the jungle and interact with them.

“We keep two males and one female and have ordered a mother and her baby,” said Tin Min Oo, deputy general manager of the Pyay timber enterprise. “An elephant ride lasts around 15 to 30 minutes.”

Foreign tourists are charged Ks20,000 for a ride and local visitors Ks2,000. The camp closes on Mondays. (US$1 = Ks1,350)

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And when I get that feeling, I want animal healing

Past traumas can have devastating effects. What goes for humans goes for animals too.

IN the Htamanthi wildlife sanctuary, on the eastern bank of the Chindwin River -- northern Myanmar -- a little monkey looks wary. Rain clouds form on the horizon, and as they swell, the Hoolock Gibbon becomes edgier. Suddenly, thunderclap bursts and the frightened animal darts into the arms of his caretaker, hiding his little head deep into his bosom.

That happens every time the rain comes, explains Naw Kaung, a project assistant from Wildlife Conservation Society-Myanmar Program.

The little creature was named Valentine by the caretakers as he arrived to the sanctuary on February 14th – Valentine’s Day. A few days earlier, Valentine too was with the person he loved most: his mother. As he was suckling in the wild, hunters attacked and killed her. Rain, too, poured that day.

“[Valentine] looked fearful when he first arrived at the sanctuary. After a month of care, he would look normal on an ordinary day. But when dark clouds gather, he becomes reckless and runs in fear, looking for shelter into someone’s bosom, no matter how far his caretaker is from him,” says Naw Kaung.

Naw Kaung and his colleagues traced the cause of his trauma by interrogating the people who brought Valentine to the sanctuary. Since then, they have tried to help the monkey overcome his fears. They surround him with kindness and warmth, pat him on the head when the clouds form and even allow him to sleep near humans. Valentine is showing signs of recovery and is becoming a clever little gibbon, but overcoming such a traumatic experience might take years. In fact, it might always resonate deep inside him.

Mary, a baby elephant, had a similar fate. She was in the bosom of her mother when the latter was poached for her skin last December in the Ayeyarwady Region. Mary was found wandering around with a herd of cows about five kilometers from her mother’s body.

The orphan calf arrived at the Forest Department on Christmas Eve. The department’s staff named her Mary (For some reason, caretakers seems to be Catholic in this part of Myanmar). The calf was transferred to the Winga Baw Elephant Conservation Camp where she joined the seven orphan elephants the camp has received since it’s opening in 2016.

Mary escaped because the poachers thought her skin wouldn’t be sold for much. It wasn’t worth the effort to take it off her. Instead, they let her wander off, alone and frightened.

In the past, poachers mostly targeted male elephants for their tusks and the issue of orphans were rare. Now, demand for elephant skin in China is shooting up, and the number of orphans knocking at sanctuary doors becomes deafening.

“The other young calves with their mothers in the camp are cheerful and playful. Mary was quiet,” says U Myint Soe, who is running the camp. Wild elephants have problems adapting to their new life and heal.

The loss of a mother is traumatic for domesticated calves too, but other female elephants can take care of them. Finding a surrogate mother for a wild calf is more complicated, as they have habits and instincts an elephant who has lived in captivity may not understand.

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Number of visitors to Wingabaw Elephant Camp increased by 80 %

HE number of visitors to Wingabaw Elephant Camp in Bago Region has increased by 80 per cent when compared with its opening in late 2016, said U Myint Soe, in-charge of the camp.

According to the Myawady Daily’s Sunday issue, the camp hosts 50 visitors in average on every weekday beginning from this financial year. At the weekend, the number of visitors increased to about 100 the most.

Located near Wingabaw Village in Phayagyi Town, Bago Region, the elephant camp has been opened to the public since 3 November, 2016. The 86.2-acre wide camp is situated nearly 40 miles from Yangon. There are seven orphaned baby elephants plus 10 adult elephants.

The admission fees for local visitor is Ks1,000 per head and Ks5,000 for those who want to ride an elephant while a foreigner have to Ks20,000 for elephant trekking.

Elephant bathing watch is also available between 7 a.m. and 8.30 p.m. daily. “We widely explain the natural characters and movements of the large mammal to the visitors while they visiting around the camp for observation purpose between 12 to 3 p.m. on a daily basis,” said U Myint Soe.—GNLM

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Hmaw Yaw Gyi elephants draw thousands of visitors

Over 4,000 local and foreign visitors visited Hmaw Yaw Gyi elephant camp in Kyauktaga Township in Bago Region during the past 10 months.

The new elephant reserve is situated one mile away from Mile Post 105/4 on the Bago Region highway. The elephant-based tourism camp was opened on World Elephants’ Day, 12 August 2016.
The elephant park is one of Myanmar’s most popular destinations. Bago Region is home to four major elephant reserves including Kyein Ni, Khayu Chaung, Thingan Myaung and Hmaw Yaw Gyi elephant camps. Among the four elephant camps, the Hmaw Yaw Gyi has been chosen as a tourist destination and opened to spectators.

Hmaw Yaw Gyi is home to 25 elephants. Visitors can also greet and ride some of the elephants. On an average public holiday, about 90 people visit Hmaw Yaw Gyi. Myanmar nationals pay an entrance fee of Ks1,000 and Ks5,000 for elephant-riding. Foreign tourists are charged Ks20,000 each for entrance fees and elephant riding at the Hmaw Yaw Gyi elephant camp.

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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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Nay Pyi Taw gets elephant camp

Some elephants at the Nga Laik elephant camp near the Nga Laik dam, Nay Pyi Taw
The Nga Laik Sakhamtha Elephant Camp will open near the Nga Laik dam, Nay Pyi Taw, in May.

The 20-acre site is in the Thet Gyi Kyun plantation in Oaktaya Thiri Township.

It has seven elephants, including two babies, and 21 staff. Plans are underway to open restaurants, recreation centres and gift shops. Accommodation is not available.

The entrance fee will be Ks1,000 for Burmese visitors and Ks2,000 for foreigners. There is an extra charge for an elephant ride. Rides are not available during the midday heat.

There will be lessons held on handling elephants.

Boat rides to the Nga Laik dam will be available. If the camp proves popular, more elephants will be retired from the timber felling work and sent to the camp.

Visits have already started with more than 150 visitors per day visiting the camp during the Thingyan holiday.

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Elephants find a haven from poachers

A conservation camp for elephants who lost their jobs because of a logging ban in the Bago ranges has become a refuge for two young calves left motherless by poachers and disease.


TWO YOUNG elephants whose lives were disrupted by the untimely deaths of their mothers have found a safe and caring refuge at a camp housing pachyderms left unemployed by a logging ban in the Bago ranges.

Mary and Yu Yu Htay became friends after arriving within days of each other last month at the Winga Baw Elephant Conservation Camp, near Phayagyi in Bago Region’s Daik-U Township.

Mary, fondly named by camp staff because she was rescued on the eve of Christmas, grew up wild in jungle near the Ayeyarwady Region capital, Pathein.

A poacher killed Mary’s mother for her hide last December.

The distraught calf was found roaming with a herd of cows about five kilometres from where her mother’s body was found.

The cows’ owner alerted the Forest Department and it handed Mary to the care of the Winga Baw Elephant Conservation Camp on January 17.

“She is being nourished by milk formula,” U Myint Soe, the camp’s in-charge, told Frontier as he watched a keeper feed Mary, her dexterous trunk holding the feeding bottle.

After telling Mary’s story, Myint Soe introduced Yu Yu Htay, a playful five-month-old. The calf, who was three months old when her mother died of disease, arrived at the camp a few days before Mary.

“Yu Yu Htay has a friend now,” he said.

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Pho Kyar elephant camp faces difficulties attracting tourists

The Pho Kyar elephant camp is struggling to attract visitors, despite the country enjoying the high season for tourists.

The camp, in the foothills of the Bago Yoma mountain range, lies within tropical forest. It is 16 km from the town of Thargaya on the Yangon-Mandalay highway, 330 km from Yangon and 389 km from Mandalay. The camp was established in 2005 on 25 acres of land.

 The place has emerged as an attractive ecotourism spot and enjoys a spectacular location, surrounded by a meandering stream and full of the fragrance of wild orchids and seasonal flowers. For tourists, the trip provides an opportunity to visit an elephant village, where they can see the skilful manner in which the mahout communicates with his charge.

“Visitors can be seen on weekends but rarely so on week days. Most come in as families or in groups,” said an official in charge of the camp, Ye Myint.


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