Elephant treatment programme still facing challenges

The elephant treatment programme, which was started to provide free treatment through mobile elephant clinics (MECs) to elephants owned by the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), private enterprises and wildlife elephants since 2016, is still facing many challenges.
The MTE is providing free treatment through two MECs to over 3,000 elephants owned by it and other wildlife elephants, and providing treatment through one MEC to elephants owned by private enterprises. The mobile elephant clinic team includes 20 veterinary surgeons and 32 elephant veterinary training students. The team is providing services such as vaccinations, deworming, removing of old abscess and surgeries, treatments, and footcare management processes.
“One of the big challenges for the team is looking for private elephant owners. Next, the team lacks experienced veterinary surgeons. We also need sustainable funding for the mobile elephant clinics. We have only one vehicle for private enterprise elephants. In this case, when we are providing treatment in the southern part of Myanmar, we cannot go to the northern part of Myanmar if there is an emergency case,” said MTE elephant veterinary professor U Zaw Min Oo.
Moreover, the MTE set up a free elephant hospital in 2014 at 13 miles entry from Oakdwin- Pauk Khaung road. However, most of the private enterprise elephant owners do not access the treatment, said U Moe Myint, Deputy General Manger of MTE.
“The private elephant owners do not want their elephants to be treated at the elephant hospital. They also do not want our team conducting a medical check-up on their elephant, as they are only concerned with their business. We provide medicine and doctors free of charge,” he added.


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Largest elephant conservation camp in region to be constructed in Ye Nwe reserve forest

An elephant conservation camp which can accommodate 5,000 elephants will be constructed at the Ye Nwe Forest Reserve in order to be able to implement an ecotourism zone, according to a report in the Myawady Daily yesterday.

The project will be undertaken with an aim to create the largest elephant conservation camp in the Southeast Asia.

About 5,000 elephants from private companies and the Myanma Timber Enterprise will be cared for at the Ye Nwe Forest Reserve.

“The government has suspended timber extraction since 2014. Therefore, there were difficulties in feeding the elephants.

So the largest elephant conservation camp will be implemented with the assistance of Four Paws International,” said Dr.

Phone Win, the chairman of Mingalar Myanmar Organisation. The elephant camp will include a baby elephant care centre, elephant hospitals and a home for aged elephants.

The government provides the land while Four Paws International provides financial assistance, technical assistance and other aid.

The project will be completed within 10 years and will be constructed with eco-tourists in mind.

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