MYANMAR BURNS $1.15 MILLION WORTH OF ILLEGAL IVORY

Myanmar burnt $1.15 million worth of ivory and other seized illegal wildlife parts in a symbolic stand against the trade.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, according to the Chinese media outlet Xinhuanet.

The outlet reports that 219 pieces of ivory were burnt, alongside 210 pieces of dried elephant’s trunk, 527 wild animal bones, 800 horns, 134.7 kg of pangolin scales, and 241 other wildlife parts.

The event intended to raise awareness of the legal stance on the wildlife part trade in Myanmar, and send a message to the general public that wildlife crime — including poaching — is not tolerated across the country.

U Win Naing Thaw — the director of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation — told the Myanmar Times prior to the event, “I regret the burning of the wildlife parts, but I feel sorrier for the live animals that are traded illegally.” He continued, “it is illegal to sell these parts on the black market, so they are being burned.”

More and more countries are turning their backs on the sale of ivory. In April last year, the UK announced one of the world’s toughest bans on the trade, banning ivory items of all ages. In other countries, ivory is allowed if it can be dated past a certain point. If the law on ivory is broken, offenders could face up to five years in prison.

The UK’s environment secretary Michael Gove said in a statement at the time, “Ivory should never be seen as a commodity for financial gain or a status symbol, so we will introduce one of the world’s toughest bans on ivory sales to protect elephants for future generations.”

“The ban on ivory sales we will bring into law will reaffirm the UK’s global leadership on this critical issue,” he continued. “Demonstrating our belief that the abhorrent ivory trade should become a thing of the past.”

Last February, Hong Kong also voted to ban the ivory trade for good by 2021, and in the U.S., Illinois became the ninth state to ban the sale of ivory and rhino horn in August last year.

Earlier this month, Myanmar opened an elephant museum in Yangon. The Irrawaddy reports that the site is dedicated to raising awareness of the plights facing elephants, including poaching.

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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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Myanmar opens elephant museum in Yangon

A woman views an exhibit during the opening ceremony of the first elephant museum in Yangon, Myanmar, March 3, 2019. Funded by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the elephant museum opened as a part of the Natural History Museum in Yangon Zoological Garden compound on Sunday to commemorate World Wildlife Day. (Xinhua/U Aung).

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Myanmar to open elephant museum in Yangon

YANGON, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will soon open a first elephant museum in Myanmar's Yangon next month, according to the forest department Wednesday.

Funded by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the elephant museum will be opened as a part of the Natural History Museum in Yangon Zoological Garden compound on Sunday to commemorate World Wildlife Day.

The museum, which will be operated by the Forest Department, aims to raise people's awareness of the protection and conservation of wildlife.

Educational materials and messages will be showcased in both Myanmar and English language for the public to stress the importance of elephants, threats they are facing and how to take measures to protect the country's wild and domesticated elephants.

At present, there are about 1,500 wild elephants and 5,000 domesticated ones in the country.

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