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Showing posts with label wild elephant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wild elephant. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
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.”
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://www.mmtimes.com/news/villagers-sanctuary-learn-live-protect-wild-elephants.html
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Wild elephant butchered in Ngaputaw township
A wild elephant was brutally killed in Ngaputaw township, Ayeyarwady Region, despite the announcement of a K3 million reward for information leading to the arrest of elephant poachers.
On March 12, a local reported the killing of an elephant to the region’s forest department. The animal was skinned and its tusks were removed, according to the forest department.
The department and other governmental agencies are currently investigating the matter, according to U Khun Pyone Naing, officer of the Ngaputaw forest department.
“Most hunters are not locals. They come from other areas and persuade locals to collaborate through bribery,” he added.
In Ngaputaw township, three wild elephants were killed since January, officials said.
U Khun Pyone Naing asked for the villagers’ cooperation to fight the plight of illegal wildlife trade and to protect endangered species.
“Before this elephant, two hunters who tried to kill elephants were arrested thanks to the cooperation of locals after the reward was advertised,” said U Khun Pyone naing.
Friends of Wildlife (FOW), World Wildlife Fund and the forest department are cooperating to reduce wildlife hunting by putting up posters which read: “Please, help and cooperate to reduce the killing of wild elephants and get a chance to receive K3 million by providing information on the whereabouts of the hunters”. Posters are displayed in Ayeyarwady Region’s Ngaputaw and Thapaung townships, according to FOW, which added that killings of elephants are still ongoing.
Last year, 29 hunters were arrested and 12 wild elephants were killed while six died of natural causes in Ayeyarwady Region, according to forest department.
“The hunters arrested will be judged according to the laws such as the protection of wildlife and conservation natural areas law,” said U Khin Maung Myint, director of the Ayeyarwady Region forest department.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://www.mmtimes.com/news/wild-elephant-butchered-ngaputaw-township.html
On March 12, a local reported the killing of an elephant to the region’s forest department. The animal was skinned and its tusks were removed, according to the forest department.
The department and other governmental agencies are currently investigating the matter, according to U Khun Pyone Naing, officer of the Ngaputaw forest department.
“Most hunters are not locals. They come from other areas and persuade locals to collaborate through bribery,” he added.
In Ngaputaw township, three wild elephants were killed since January, officials said.
U Khun Pyone Naing asked for the villagers’ cooperation to fight the plight of illegal wildlife trade and to protect endangered species.
“Before this elephant, two hunters who tried to kill elephants were arrested thanks to the cooperation of locals after the reward was advertised,” said U Khun Pyone naing.
Friends of Wildlife (FOW), World Wildlife Fund and the forest department are cooperating to reduce wildlife hunting by putting up posters which read: “Please, help and cooperate to reduce the killing of wild elephants and get a chance to receive K3 million by providing information on the whereabouts of the hunters”. Posters are displayed in Ayeyarwady Region’s Ngaputaw and Thapaung townships, according to FOW, which added that killings of elephants are still ongoing.
Last year, 29 hunters were arrested and 12 wild elephants were killed while six died of natural causes in Ayeyarwady Region, according to forest department.
“The hunters arrested will be judged according to the laws such as the protection of wildlife and conservation natural areas law,” said U Khin Maung Myint, director of the Ayeyarwady Region forest department.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://www.mmtimes.com/news/wild-elephant-butchered-ngaputaw-township.html
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Police arrest elephant poaching ring in in Myanmar’s Irrawaddy region
At least one elephant is killed by hunters in Myanmar every week, says WWF-Myanmar.
The Forestry Police arrested an elephant poaching ring in Irrawaddy Region’s Ngapudaw Township in Myanmar, The Irrawaddy reported.
poacActing on a tip, combined forces from the Forestry Police, Nga Yoke Kaung sub-township police department, the Forestry Department, village administrators and Elephant Emergency Response Units (EERU) cornered the ring in Myittayar Forest Reserve in Ngapudaw Township. Two poachers were arrested and one escaped, local village tract administrator U Kyaw Myint Tun told The Irrawaddy.
“We arrested two hunters with poaching equipment. Another poacher got away, but we are going after him. We are undertaking plans to prevent elephant poaching in our region,” he said.
The two hunters who were arrested are respectively from Rakhine State’s Taungup Township and Ngapudaw Township. The third poacher from Magwe Region is still at large.
Percussion firearms, metal bolts, iron rods, arrows, gunpowder and more were seized from the poachers, according to the Forestry Police.
“It is important to arrest poachers before they kill an elephant,” said Ko Sai Zaw Oo, an official of a local elephant conservation group in Ngapudaw Township.
Police have opened a case against the two poachers. Last year, 13 wild elephants were killed in Pathein, Ngapudaw and Thabaung, and Irrawaddy Region remains the main elephant poaching ground in Myanmar.
In February, the European Union urged the Myanmar government to strengthen efforts to protect its wild elephant population, warning that it is on the brink of extinction due to poaching to supply the illegal trade of ivory and skins.
EU ambassadors also urged the Myanmar government to end the open sale of elephant and other illegal wildlife parts in markets in its major cities, at popular tourist sites and along its borders.
According to WWF-Myanmar, at least one elephant is killed by hunters in Myanmar every week. Elephant skin, hair, teeth and ivory are sold at tourist sites such as the Golden Rock (Kyaiktiyo Pagoda in Bago Region), while ivory is sold in Yangon and Mandalay. Large markets also operate in the ‘Golden Triangle’ border area Myanmar shares with China, Laos and Thailand.
In mid-February, the government launched The Myanmar Elephant Conservation Action Plan (MECAP), a strategy for the next 10 years (2018–27) with the overall aim of securing viable and ecologically functional elephant populations in Myanmar for the next century and beyond with support from international and local organizations.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, 18 wild elephants were poached in 2016, and 30 were killed last year. The current population is estimated at just 1,400-2,000, compared to 10,000 in 1997.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://nenow.in/police-arrest-elephant-poaching-ring-myanmars-irrawaddy-region.html
Friday, March 16, 2018
An elephant sanctuary in the Rakhine Yoma
By the time our powered schooner got to the sentry post of the
Sanctuary adjacent to the Kyaintali Creek, we began to breathe in fresh
smells from the forest. We saw several huts in the sentry post not far
away from the edge of the creek. Surrounded by thick jungles and high
mountains, the Yadanmyaing village is 33 miles away from Gwa township
and we proceeded to the edge of the sentry post for 13 miles bt powered
schooner along the creek.
The location of the sentry post is more than 10 miles from the nearest village and is situated near the boundary of the Sanctuary. Named as the Kyainkhakhon post, it is one of the three sentry posts in Rakhine Yoma elephant sanctuary. It is built along the Kyaintali Creek for easy accessibility to the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary.
Importance of locality
As the creek streams along the whole south side of the Sanctuary, the sentry post plays an important role in preventing the danger of collapse of the creek edges. Other two important sentry posts are the Bogale and Kyachaung posts. The three sentry posts protect all wild animals including other wild animals roaming about in this sanctuary.
This sanctuary is the first of its kind in Myanmar, according to administrator U San Win of the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary. “ We just want to let the public know this sanctuary is very important for wild elephants. If we cannot control the situation, the wild elephants in the Rakhine Yoma will be threatened with extinction. This sanctuary is also important for wild animals of rare species. Rich grazing for wild animals There are many rare animal species in this sanctuary: 40 kinds of mammals including rare Myanmar wild elephants, tigers and bison , 63 kinds of amphibians and reptiles, 26 kinds of butterflies, 28 kinds of freshwater fish and 12 kinds of insects. Naturally-grown trees of 75 kinds include ironwood trees and large timber trees, 11 kinds of orchids, 9 kinds of bamboo, four kinds of cane and 47 kinds of medicinal plants, according to some records.
The Rakhine Yoma elephant sanctuary is ecologically evergreen environment which is covered by 70% of the bamboo forest. On east side of the Sanctuary borders townships of Kyankin, Myanaung, Ingapu and Laymyetnar and on the south with Gwa township and on the north side with Thandwe township. In 1997 the sanctuary was set aside for wild elephants and legalized in 2002. The area of this sanctuary is over 430,000 acres wide.
Research
While we stayed at the Kyainkhakhon post, we went into thick forest for about eight miles along the Kyaintali Creek. Our three schooners faced strong torrents and sometimes we had to wade through the shallow water. Along the way we went across several small streams with their respective background information on their names.
The location of Rakhine Yoma elephant sanctuary is among the high mountains: narrow creeks and small streams with big blocks of rock in between. The sanctuary is hard to reach on foot but through narrow creeks and small streams.
An atmosphere of serenity
Pointing at high mountains and a grove of bamboo , U Saw Htoo Tha Po, the keeper at the Yoma elephant sanctuary said the atmosphere of serenity still remains intact: rich pasture for wild elephants naturally and geographically; a place of no threat for wild animals; an area specifically demarcated for the sanctuary; no deforestation; and ecological systems have not dramatically changed.
U Saw Htoo Tha Po, senior coordinator at Wildlife Sanctuary(Myanmar Program), gets deeply involved in the protection of wild elephants and related research. Our 15-member group found the footprints and faeces of wild animals on the way and picked them up for putting on record and doing research. About a hundred of wild elephants are believed by authorities to be roaming about in this sanctuary. This number is inconsistent with scientific way of counting. U Saw Htoo Tha Po explained that scientific research is required to count wild elephants.
Making a list
He has been trying hard to know in coming years to locate where wild elephants graze in the Sanctuary. After knowing the location of grazing ground, the number of wild elephants should be put on record by doing research. Many small groups will have to cover the sanctuary of 400,000 acres within a fortnight by doing research five times during a period of three months. Collecting data get involved in using DNA analysis of their faeces to distinguish between individual animals. The faeces must be sent abroad for further analysis which will cost much. For the time being as they are focusing on the protection of wild animals, the above analyses could be carried out within a period of several years, U Saw Htoo Tha Po pointed out.
Rare species such as elephants, bison, and birds roaming about in this Sanctuary have been under threat by poachers, according to Sanctuary administrator U San Win. Wild elephants are being killed by poachers in the forest reserves of Gwa and Taungnyo adjoining the Sanctuary. “ Hunters from the townships of Kyankhin, Myanaung, Ingapu, and Laymyetnar in Ayeyawady region are found to have invaded to hunt wild animals and poison fish; hunting causes a lot of problems in the region,” according to U San Win.
Beyond control
According to the set-up of the Sanctuary, there are 81 employees; but there currently 25 with 15 going out on patrol. Due to lack of public service personnel, we find it difficult to go on with present
workforce, he continued. With support from Wildlife Sanctuary( Myanmar Program), the employees keep patrolling together with newly-recruited local employees Wild animals are being protected in cooperation with Myanmar program. The number of rangers are 25 only; they are divided into three groups with each group including eight rangers. They have to patrol the whole area for 20 days only. Sometimes these rangers happen to confront with 20 or so hunters armed with bayonets, guns and a herd of hunting dogs and they have to retreat.
Revelation of evidences
When rangers are on patrol, they sometimes find and seize racks, huts and percussion lock firearms from the hunters. Bison’s flesh is found selling in a village near the Sanctuary, it is tantamount to the kill of hunters, employees say. To solve the problems , recruitment of more employees, the extension of more sentry posts, educating local populace and joint patrol with police force are essential elements for effective actions. Rangers on patrol are required to be armed, some advised.
The sanctuary under threat While wild elephants in the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary are now under threat, a wild elephant is being killed every week across the country, say the keepers for Myanmar Wild Elephants. According to the Forest Department ,140 elephants were killed by poachers from 2010 to 2017. “Even though the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary is under threat, proper maintenance of the Sanctuary will be beneficial for nature-based tourism. It will pay the way for studying the local fauna and flora; it will also create job opportunities for local populace,” the sanctuary administrator U San Win pointed out.
“As this Sanctuary is a natural habitat for wild elephants, conservation of this wide area is urgently needed” said U Saw Htoo Tha Po, who has been doing research on wild elephants in Rakhine Yoma.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
http://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/elephant-sanctuary-rakhine-yoma/
The location of the sentry post is more than 10 miles from the nearest village and is situated near the boundary of the Sanctuary. Named as the Kyainkhakhon post, it is one of the three sentry posts in Rakhine Yoma elephant sanctuary. It is built along the Kyaintali Creek for easy accessibility to the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary.
Importance of locality
As the creek streams along the whole south side of the Sanctuary, the sentry post plays an important role in preventing the danger of collapse of the creek edges. Other two important sentry posts are the Bogale and Kyachaung posts. The three sentry posts protect all wild animals including other wild animals roaming about in this sanctuary.
This sanctuary is the first of its kind in Myanmar, according to administrator U San Win of the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary. “ We just want to let the public know this sanctuary is very important for wild elephants. If we cannot control the situation, the wild elephants in the Rakhine Yoma will be threatened with extinction. This sanctuary is also important for wild animals of rare species. Rich grazing for wild animals There are many rare animal species in this sanctuary: 40 kinds of mammals including rare Myanmar wild elephants, tigers and bison , 63 kinds of amphibians and reptiles, 26 kinds of butterflies, 28 kinds of freshwater fish and 12 kinds of insects. Naturally-grown trees of 75 kinds include ironwood trees and large timber trees, 11 kinds of orchids, 9 kinds of bamboo, four kinds of cane and 47 kinds of medicinal plants, according to some records.
The Rakhine Yoma elephant sanctuary is ecologically evergreen environment which is covered by 70% of the bamboo forest. On east side of the Sanctuary borders townships of Kyankin, Myanaung, Ingapu and Laymyetnar and on the south with Gwa township and on the north side with Thandwe township. In 1997 the sanctuary was set aside for wild elephants and legalized in 2002. The area of this sanctuary is over 430,000 acres wide.
Research
While we stayed at the Kyainkhakhon post, we went into thick forest for about eight miles along the Kyaintali Creek. Our three schooners faced strong torrents and sometimes we had to wade through the shallow water. Along the way we went across several small streams with their respective background information on their names.
The location of Rakhine Yoma elephant sanctuary is among the high mountains: narrow creeks and small streams with big blocks of rock in between. The sanctuary is hard to reach on foot but through narrow creeks and small streams.
An atmosphere of serenity
Pointing at high mountains and a grove of bamboo , U Saw Htoo Tha Po, the keeper at the Yoma elephant sanctuary said the atmosphere of serenity still remains intact: rich pasture for wild elephants naturally and geographically; a place of no threat for wild animals; an area specifically demarcated for the sanctuary; no deforestation; and ecological systems have not dramatically changed.
U Saw Htoo Tha Po, senior coordinator at Wildlife Sanctuary(Myanmar Program), gets deeply involved in the protection of wild elephants and related research. Our 15-member group found the footprints and faeces of wild animals on the way and picked them up for putting on record and doing research. About a hundred of wild elephants are believed by authorities to be roaming about in this sanctuary. This number is inconsistent with scientific way of counting. U Saw Htoo Tha Po explained that scientific research is required to count wild elephants.
Making a list
He has been trying hard to know in coming years to locate where wild elephants graze in the Sanctuary. After knowing the location of grazing ground, the number of wild elephants should be put on record by doing research. Many small groups will have to cover the sanctuary of 400,000 acres within a fortnight by doing research five times during a period of three months. Collecting data get involved in using DNA analysis of their faeces to distinguish between individual animals. The faeces must be sent abroad for further analysis which will cost much. For the time being as they are focusing on the protection of wild animals, the above analyses could be carried out within a period of several years, U Saw Htoo Tha Po pointed out.
Rare species such as elephants, bison, and birds roaming about in this Sanctuary have been under threat by poachers, according to Sanctuary administrator U San Win. Wild elephants are being killed by poachers in the forest reserves of Gwa and Taungnyo adjoining the Sanctuary. “ Hunters from the townships of Kyankhin, Myanaung, Ingapu, and Laymyetnar in Ayeyawady region are found to have invaded to hunt wild animals and poison fish; hunting causes a lot of problems in the region,” according to U San Win.
Beyond control
According to the set-up of the Sanctuary, there are 81 employees; but there currently 25 with 15 going out on patrol. Due to lack of public service personnel, we find it difficult to go on with present
workforce, he continued. With support from Wildlife Sanctuary( Myanmar Program), the employees keep patrolling together with newly-recruited local employees Wild animals are being protected in cooperation with Myanmar program. The number of rangers are 25 only; they are divided into three groups with each group including eight rangers. They have to patrol the whole area for 20 days only. Sometimes these rangers happen to confront with 20 or so hunters armed with bayonets, guns and a herd of hunting dogs and they have to retreat.
Revelation of evidences
When rangers are on patrol, they sometimes find and seize racks, huts and percussion lock firearms from the hunters. Bison’s flesh is found selling in a village near the Sanctuary, it is tantamount to the kill of hunters, employees say. To solve the problems , recruitment of more employees, the extension of more sentry posts, educating local populace and joint patrol with police force are essential elements for effective actions. Rangers on patrol are required to be armed, some advised.
The sanctuary under threat While wild elephants in the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary are now under threat, a wild elephant is being killed every week across the country, say the keepers for Myanmar Wild Elephants. According to the Forest Department ,140 elephants were killed by poachers from 2010 to 2017. “Even though the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary is under threat, proper maintenance of the Sanctuary will be beneficial for nature-based tourism. It will pay the way for studying the local fauna and flora; it will also create job opportunities for local populace,” the sanctuary administrator U San Win pointed out.
“As this Sanctuary is a natural habitat for wild elephants, conservation of this wide area is urgently needed” said U Saw Htoo Tha Po, who has been doing research on wild elephants in Rakhine Yoma.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
http://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/elephant-sanctuary-rakhine-yoma/
Thursday, March 08, 2018
An elephant sanctuary in the Rakhine Yoma
By the time our powered schooner got to the sentry post of the Sanctuary adjacent to the Kyaintali Creek, we began to breathe in fresh smells from the forest. We saw several huts in the sentry post not far away from the edge of the creek. Surrounded by thick jungles and high mountains, the Yadanmyaing village is 33 miles away from Gwa township and we proceeded to the edge of the sentry post for 13 miles bt powered schooner along the creek.
The location of the sentry post is more than 10 miles from the nearest village and is situated near the boundary of the Sanctuary. Named as the Kyainkhakhon post, it is one of the three sentry posts in Rakhine Yoma elephant sanctuary. It is built along the Kyaintali Creek for easy accessibility to the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary.
Importance of locality
As the creek streams along the whole south side of the Sanctuary, the sentry post plays an important role in preventing the danger of collapse of the creek edges. Other two important sentry posts are the Bogale and Kyachaung posts. The three sentry posts protect all wild animals including other wild animals roaming about in this sanctuary.
This sanctuary is the first of its kind in Myanmar, according to administrator U San Win of the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary. “ We just want to let the public know this sanctuary is very important for wild elephants. If we cannot control the situation, the wild elephants in the Rakhine Yoma will be threatened with extinction. This sanctuary is also important for wild animals of rare species. Rich grazing for wild animals There are many rare animal species in this sanctuary: 40 kinds of mammals including rare Myanmar wild elephants, tigers and bison , 63 kinds of amphibians and reptiles, 26 kinds of butterflies, 28 kinds of freshwater fish and 12 kinds of insects. Naturally-grown trees of 75 kinds include ironwood trees and large timber trees, 11 kinds of orchids, 9 kinds of bamboo, four kinds of cane and 47 kinds of medicinal plants, according to some records.
The Rakhine Yoma elephant sanctuary is ecologically evergreen environment which is covered by 70% of the bamboo forest. On east side of the Sanctuary borders townships of Kyankin, Myanaung, Ingapu and Laymyetnar and on the south with Gwa township and on the north side with Thandwe township. In 1997 the sanctuary was set aside for wild elephants and legalized in 2002. The area of this sanctuary is over 430,000 acres wide.
Research
While we stayed at the Kyainkhakhon post, we went into thick forest for about eight miles along the Kyaintali Creek. Our three schooners faced strong torrents and sometimes we had to wade through the shallow water. Along the way we went across several small streams with their respective background information on their names.
The location of Rakhine Yoma elephant sanctuary is among the high mountains: narrow creeks and small streams with big blocks of rock in between. The sanctuary is hard to reach on foot but through narrow creeks and small streams.
An atmosphere of serenity
Pointing at high mountains and a grove of bamboo , U Saw Htoo Tha Po, the keeper at the Yoma elephant sanctuary said the atmosphere of serenity still remains intact: rich pasture for wild elephants naturally and geographically; a place of no threat for wild animals; an area specifically demarcated for the sanctuary; no deforestation; and ecological systems have not dramatically changed.
U Saw Htoo Tha Po, senior coordinator at Wildlife Sanctuary(Myanmar Program), gets deeply involved in the protection of wild elephants and related research. Our 15-member group found the footprints and faeces of wild animals on the way and picked them up for putting on record and doing research. About a hundred of wild elephants are believed by authorities to be roaming about in this sanctuary. This number is inconsistent with scientific way of counting. U Saw Htoo Tha Po explained that scientific research is required to count wild elephants.
Making a list
He has been trying hard to know in coming years to locate where wild elephants graze in the Sanctuary. After knowing the location of grazing ground, the number of wild elephants should be put on record by doing research. Many small groups will have to cover the sanctuary of 400,000 acres within a fortnight by doing research five times during a period of three months. Collecting data get involved in using DNA analysis of their faeces to distinguish between individual animals. The faeces must be sent abroad for further analysis which will cost much. For the time being as they are focusing on the protection of wild animals, the above analyses could be carried out within a period of several years, U Saw Htoo Tha Po pointed out.
Rare species such as elephants, bison, and birds roaming about in this Sanctuary have been under threat by poachers, according to Sanctuary administrator U San Win. Wild elephants are being killed by poachers in the forest reserves of Gwa and Taungnyo adjoining the Sanctuary. “ Hunters from the townships of Kyankhin, Myanaung, Ingapu, and Laymyetnar in Ayeyawady region are found to have invaded to hunt wild animals and poison fish; hunting causes a lot of problems in the region,” according to U San Win.
Beyond control
According to the set-up of the Sanctuary, there are 81 employees; but there currently 25 with 15 going out on patrol. Due to lack of public service personnel, we find it difficult to go on with present
workforce, he continued. With support from Wildlife Sanctuary( Myanmar Program), the employees keep patrolling together with newly-recruited local employees Wild animals are being protected in cooperation with Myanmar program. The number of rangers are 25 only; they are divided into three groups with each group including eight rangers. They have to patrol the whole area for 20 days only. Sometimes these rangers happen to confront with 20 or so hunters armed with bayonets, guns and a herd of hunting dogs and they have to retreat.
Revelation of evidences
When rangers are on patrol, they sometimes find and seize racks, huts and percussion lock firearms from the hunters. Bison’s flesh is found selling in a village near the Sanctuary, it is tantamount to the kill of hunters, employees say. To solve the problems , recruitment of more employees, the extension of more sentry posts, educating local populace and joint patrol with police force are essential elements for effective actions. Rangers on patrol are required to be armed, some advised.
The sanctuary under threat While wild elephants in the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary are now under threat, a wild elephant is being killed every week across the country, say the keepers for Myanmar Wild Elephants. According to the Forest Department ,140 elephants were killed by poachers from 2010 to 2017. “Even though the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary is under threat, proper maintenance of the Sanctuary will be beneficial for nature-based tourism. It will pay the way for studying the local fauna and flora; it will also create job opportunities for local populace,” the sanctuary administrator U San Win pointed out.
“As this Sanctuary is a natural habitat for wild elephants, conservation of this wide area is urgently needed” said U Saw Htoo Tha Po, who has been doing research on wild elephants in Rakhine Yoma.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/elephant-sanctuary-rakhine-yoma/
The location of the sentry post is more than 10 miles from the nearest village and is situated near the boundary of the Sanctuary. Named as the Kyainkhakhon post, it is one of the three sentry posts in Rakhine Yoma elephant sanctuary. It is built along the Kyaintali Creek for easy accessibility to the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary.
Importance of locality
As the creek streams along the whole south side of the Sanctuary, the sentry post plays an important role in preventing the danger of collapse of the creek edges. Other two important sentry posts are the Bogale and Kyachaung posts. The three sentry posts protect all wild animals including other wild animals roaming about in this sanctuary.
This sanctuary is the first of its kind in Myanmar, according to administrator U San Win of the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary. “ We just want to let the public know this sanctuary is very important for wild elephants. If we cannot control the situation, the wild elephants in the Rakhine Yoma will be threatened with extinction. This sanctuary is also important for wild animals of rare species. Rich grazing for wild animals There are many rare animal species in this sanctuary: 40 kinds of mammals including rare Myanmar wild elephants, tigers and bison , 63 kinds of amphibians and reptiles, 26 kinds of butterflies, 28 kinds of freshwater fish and 12 kinds of insects. Naturally-grown trees of 75 kinds include ironwood trees and large timber trees, 11 kinds of orchids, 9 kinds of bamboo, four kinds of cane and 47 kinds of medicinal plants, according to some records.
The Rakhine Yoma elephant sanctuary is ecologically evergreen environment which is covered by 70% of the bamboo forest. On east side of the Sanctuary borders townships of Kyankin, Myanaung, Ingapu and Laymyetnar and on the south with Gwa township and on the north side with Thandwe township. In 1997 the sanctuary was set aside for wild elephants and legalized in 2002. The area of this sanctuary is over 430,000 acres wide.
Research
While we stayed at the Kyainkhakhon post, we went into thick forest for about eight miles along the Kyaintali Creek. Our three schooners faced strong torrents and sometimes we had to wade through the shallow water. Along the way we went across several small streams with their respective background information on their names.
The location of Rakhine Yoma elephant sanctuary is among the high mountains: narrow creeks and small streams with big blocks of rock in between. The sanctuary is hard to reach on foot but through narrow creeks and small streams.
An atmosphere of serenity
Pointing at high mountains and a grove of bamboo , U Saw Htoo Tha Po, the keeper at the Yoma elephant sanctuary said the atmosphere of serenity still remains intact: rich pasture for wild elephants naturally and geographically; a place of no threat for wild animals; an area specifically demarcated for the sanctuary; no deforestation; and ecological systems have not dramatically changed.
U Saw Htoo Tha Po, senior coordinator at Wildlife Sanctuary(Myanmar Program), gets deeply involved in the protection of wild elephants and related research. Our 15-member group found the footprints and faeces of wild animals on the way and picked them up for putting on record and doing research. About a hundred of wild elephants are believed by authorities to be roaming about in this sanctuary. This number is inconsistent with scientific way of counting. U Saw Htoo Tha Po explained that scientific research is required to count wild elephants.
Making a list
He has been trying hard to know in coming years to locate where wild elephants graze in the Sanctuary. After knowing the location of grazing ground, the number of wild elephants should be put on record by doing research. Many small groups will have to cover the sanctuary of 400,000 acres within a fortnight by doing research five times during a period of three months. Collecting data get involved in using DNA analysis of their faeces to distinguish between individual animals. The faeces must be sent abroad for further analysis which will cost much. For the time being as they are focusing on the protection of wild animals, the above analyses could be carried out within a period of several years, U Saw Htoo Tha Po pointed out.
Rare species such as elephants, bison, and birds roaming about in this Sanctuary have been under threat by poachers, according to Sanctuary administrator U San Win. Wild elephants are being killed by poachers in the forest reserves of Gwa and Taungnyo adjoining the Sanctuary. “ Hunters from the townships of Kyankhin, Myanaung, Ingapu, and Laymyetnar in Ayeyawady region are found to have invaded to hunt wild animals and poison fish; hunting causes a lot of problems in the region,” according to U San Win.
Beyond control
According to the set-up of the Sanctuary, there are 81 employees; but there currently 25 with 15 going out on patrol. Due to lack of public service personnel, we find it difficult to go on with present
workforce, he continued. With support from Wildlife Sanctuary( Myanmar Program), the employees keep patrolling together with newly-recruited local employees Wild animals are being protected in cooperation with Myanmar program. The number of rangers are 25 only; they are divided into three groups with each group including eight rangers. They have to patrol the whole area for 20 days only. Sometimes these rangers happen to confront with 20 or so hunters armed with bayonets, guns and a herd of hunting dogs and they have to retreat.
Revelation of evidences
When rangers are on patrol, they sometimes find and seize racks, huts and percussion lock firearms from the hunters. Bison’s flesh is found selling in a village near the Sanctuary, it is tantamount to the kill of hunters, employees say. To solve the problems , recruitment of more employees, the extension of more sentry posts, educating local populace and joint patrol with police force are essential elements for effective actions. Rangers on patrol are required to be armed, some advised.
The sanctuary under threat While wild elephants in the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary are now under threat, a wild elephant is being killed every week across the country, say the keepers for Myanmar Wild Elephants. According to the Forest Department ,140 elephants were killed by poachers from 2010 to 2017. “Even though the Rakhine Yoma Sanctuary is under threat, proper maintenance of the Sanctuary will be beneficial for nature-based tourism. It will pay the way for studying the local fauna and flora; it will also create job opportunities for local populace,” the sanctuary administrator U San Win pointed out.
“As this Sanctuary is a natural habitat for wild elephants, conservation of this wide area is urgently needed” said U Saw Htoo Tha Po, who has been doing research on wild elephants in Rakhine Yoma.
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Friday, December 22, 2017
ASIAN ELEPHANTS ARE NOW BEING KILLED FOR THEIR SKIN
A lawless zone in northeastern Myanmar has cornered the market in a gruesome good: elephant skin jewellery.
The smell was ghastly and the sight even worse. Twenty-five elephants lay dead in a riverbed in the Ayeyawady (Irrawaddy) delta in southwestern Myanmar. “The stench is what led villagers to the bodies in the first place,” says Aung Myo Chit, the Smithsonian Institution’s Myanmar country coordinator, who also leads a local NGO, Growth for Prosperity, that helps rural residents avoid deadly conflicts with elephants.
It was the trust Aung Myo Chit’s outreach workers had earned that led villagers of Nga Pu Taw Township to reveal the dead elephants. Ordinarily, local people avoid reporting poaching to the authorities for fear they’ll be blamed.
By the time Aung Myo Chit’s filmmaker colleague Klaus Reisinger got there in early May, the giant carcasses had deteriorated badly. “Their bellies were bloated,” Reisinger recalls with a shudder.
Captive elephants are often used to drag carcasses of elephants slain for their ivory out of riverbeds where they’re commonly found. But that wasn’t possible this time. The skin had been stripped from the bodies, leaving them to tear apart if moved. So staff with the Myanmar Forest Department who came to investigate burned them in place to prevent their contaminating the downstream water supply.
Such spectacles are familiar on African savannas, where elephants are more numerous and poachers have stalked their ivory for decades. Not so in the thick forests of Myanmar, where the country’s remaining 1,200 to 1,400 endangered wild elephants are elusive and only the males (and not all males) have tusks.
But this and other, smaller recent slaughters in the Ayeyawady delta were not ivory raids. Poachers had killed males, tuskless females, and calves alike in pursuit of a different prize: their skins.
Using elephant skin and other body parts is nothing new in Southeast Asia. In Myanmar and elsewhere—particularly in tribal areas—the skin is dried, ground, mixed with oils, and applied to treat eczema and other skin conditions.
To read the full article, click on the story title
The smell was ghastly and the sight even worse. Twenty-five elephants lay dead in a riverbed in the Ayeyawady (Irrawaddy) delta in southwestern Myanmar. “The stench is what led villagers to the bodies in the first place,” says Aung Myo Chit, the Smithsonian Institution’s Myanmar country coordinator, who also leads a local NGO, Growth for Prosperity, that helps rural residents avoid deadly conflicts with elephants.
It was the trust Aung Myo Chit’s outreach workers had earned that led villagers of Nga Pu Taw Township to reveal the dead elephants. Ordinarily, local people avoid reporting poaching to the authorities for fear they’ll be blamed.
By the time Aung Myo Chit’s filmmaker colleague Klaus Reisinger got there in early May, the giant carcasses had deteriorated badly. “Their bellies were bloated,” Reisinger recalls with a shudder.
Captive elephants are often used to drag carcasses of elephants slain for their ivory out of riverbeds where they’re commonly found. But that wasn’t possible this time. The skin had been stripped from the bodies, leaving them to tear apart if moved. So staff with the Myanmar Forest Department who came to investigate burned them in place to prevent their contaminating the downstream water supply.
Such spectacles are familiar on African savannas, where elephants are more numerous and poachers have stalked their ivory for decades. Not so in the thick forests of Myanmar, where the country’s remaining 1,200 to 1,400 endangered wild elephants are elusive and only the males (and not all males) have tusks.
But this and other, smaller recent slaughters in the Ayeyawady delta were not ivory raids. Poachers had killed males, tuskless females, and calves alike in pursuit of a different prize: their skins.
Using elephant skin and other body parts is nothing new in Southeast Asia. In Myanmar and elsewhere—particularly in tribal areas—the skin is dried, ground, mixed with oils, and applied to treat eczema and other skin conditions.
To read the full article, click on the story title
Locals Seek Police Assistance to Deter Rampaging Elephant
PATHEIN — A wild elephant has been on a rampage through several villages in the west of Pathein Township in Irrawaddy Region as of Tuesday, and locals are afraid.
“That elephant is really wild and not afraid of humans. It stamped a pig to death in Kyun Kalay village and also destroyed a house in Ywathit village. We locals are scared that it could hurt us,” U Hla Htay, the administrator of Kyaukphya village tract, told The Irrawaddy.
Forestry police and personnel of the Pathein Township Forestry Department arrived in the village tract on Friday after locals sought help. The forestry department brought four tamed elephants to help drive it back to the forest.
Wild elephants visit farms for food usually from the paddy harvest in November to around May before the rainy season starts, according to locals.
“As people cut down trees excessively, it causes deforestation, and elephants are devoid of foods. They are losing their habitats. So, they come to human settlements to eat paddy, banana and other crops grown by the people, resulting in human-elephant conflict,” said Sai Zaw Oo, a supervisor of the Myanmar Elephant Lovers Association, a local community-based organization based in Ngapudaw Township.
“At the same time, this has given elephant poachers the opportunity to hunt wild elephants that come and search for food,” he added.
Last year, a herd of wild elephants came and ate crops grown by locals around Ngwe Saung Beach in the west of Pathein Township, and four local villagers were killed in resultant human-elephant conflicts, according to the Ngwe Saung Beach police station.
In June this year, non-governmental organizations, forestry police and Myanma Timber Enterprise formed a team tasked with scaring away elephants from human settlements and preventing them from being hunted by poachers. The team carries out regular patrols across the forests with tamed elephants.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Conservation, 18 wild elephants were poached in Myanmar in 2016 whereas about 30 elephants have been hunted as of Aug. 31 this year.
The elephant population of the country is now estimated to be between 1,400 and 2,000—a significant decrease from about 10,000 in the 1940s, according to the Forestry Department.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/locals-seek-police-assistance-deter-rampaging-elephant.html
“That elephant is really wild and not afraid of humans. It stamped a pig to death in Kyun Kalay village and also destroyed a house in Ywathit village. We locals are scared that it could hurt us,” U Hla Htay, the administrator of Kyaukphya village tract, told The Irrawaddy.
Forestry police and personnel of the Pathein Township Forestry Department arrived in the village tract on Friday after locals sought help. The forestry department brought four tamed elephants to help drive it back to the forest.
Wild elephants visit farms for food usually from the paddy harvest in November to around May before the rainy season starts, according to locals.
“As people cut down trees excessively, it causes deforestation, and elephants are devoid of foods. They are losing their habitats. So, they come to human settlements to eat paddy, banana and other crops grown by the people, resulting in human-elephant conflict,” said Sai Zaw Oo, a supervisor of the Myanmar Elephant Lovers Association, a local community-based organization based in Ngapudaw Township.
“At the same time, this has given elephant poachers the opportunity to hunt wild elephants that come and search for food,” he added.
Last year, a herd of wild elephants came and ate crops grown by locals around Ngwe Saung Beach in the west of Pathein Township, and four local villagers were killed in resultant human-elephant conflicts, according to the Ngwe Saung Beach police station.
In June this year, non-governmental organizations, forestry police and Myanma Timber Enterprise formed a team tasked with scaring away elephants from human settlements and preventing them from being hunted by poachers. The team carries out regular patrols across the forests with tamed elephants.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Conservation, 18 wild elephants were poached in Myanmar in 2016 whereas about 30 elephants have been hunted as of Aug. 31 this year.
The elephant population of the country is now estimated to be between 1,400 and 2,000—a significant decrease from about 10,000 in the 1940s, according to the Forestry Department.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/locals-seek-police-assistance-deter-rampaging-elephant.html
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Myanmar army’s landmines put elephants at risk
The IUCN Red List of Bangladesh categorized Asian elephant as “critically endangered” as the species of wild animal is now at risk of extinction.
Wildlife conservationists have expressed concern regarding the deaths and injuries to elephants caused by landmines allegedly laid by Myanmar security forces along its border with Bangladesh.
A wild elephant died after stepping on a landmine along Naikhongchari border area in Bandarban district on November 21.
Confirming the death, Divisional Forest Officer of Lama Forest Division Md Kamal Uddin said: “The giant mammal sustained injuries Monday night after stepping on a landmine in the no-man’s land along Naikhongchari border.
“The elephant died the next day.”
Expressing grave concern, eminent wildlife biologist Dr AHM Raihan Sarker told the Dhaka Tribune: “Some 350 elephants live in Bangladesh while around 5,000 of the large mammals live in Myanmar.
“It is a matter of serious concern that the Myanmar forces erected barbed wire fences and laid landmines along the border. Like any other mammal, elephants too require undisturbed feeding, breeding and resting places.”
“The movement of elephants between the two countries will be disrupted due to the landmines laid along the border,” he said, adding that the existence of the mammals will be put at great risk.
Dr Raihan, who also teaches at the Institute of Forestry & Environmental Sciences (IFES) at Chittagong University, said the home range of an elephant usually covers 300 square kilometres and these mammals always follow set routes and corridors for movement.
To read the full article, click on the story title
Wildlife conservationists have expressed concern regarding the deaths and injuries to elephants caused by landmines allegedly laid by Myanmar security forces along its border with Bangladesh.
A wild elephant died after stepping on a landmine along Naikhongchari border area in Bandarban district on November 21.
Confirming the death, Divisional Forest Officer of Lama Forest Division Md Kamal Uddin said: “The giant mammal sustained injuries Monday night after stepping on a landmine in the no-man’s land along Naikhongchari border.
“The elephant died the next day.”
Expressing grave concern, eminent wildlife biologist Dr AHM Raihan Sarker told the Dhaka Tribune: “Some 350 elephants live in Bangladesh while around 5,000 of the large mammals live in Myanmar.
“It is a matter of serious concern that the Myanmar forces erected barbed wire fences and laid landmines along the border. Like any other mammal, elephants too require undisturbed feeding, breeding and resting places.”
“The movement of elephants between the two countries will be disrupted due to the landmines laid along the border,” he said, adding that the existence of the mammals will be put at great risk.
Dr Raihan, who also teaches at the Institute of Forestry & Environmental Sciences (IFES) at Chittagong University, said the home range of an elephant usually covers 300 square kilometres and these mammals always follow set routes and corridors for movement.
To read the full article, click on the story title
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Wild Elephants Destroy Home, Crops in Ngapudaw Township
PATHEIN — Two herds of hungry wild elephants destroyed a house and crops in a village in Irrawaddy Region’s Ngapudaw Township on Monday.
According to locals, each herd included at least five elephants. The herds arrived separately from the east and west of the Pathein-Mawtin Road in the township’s Dipayone Kwethit village on Monday evening.
“The two herds were only about 500 feet from each other. They seemed to be starving. They came close to the fences of our houses and ate bananas and other crops. Because they came so close to people, Forestry Police had to fire shots to scare them away,” said Tin Chaung village tract administrator U Tun Lay, who helped police drive the wild elephants away.
A house in Dipayone Kwethit was destroyed by elephants that had wandered into the backyard to eat crops. The elephants were not aggressive toward villagers, local residents said.
“The elephants approached the fences of our houses, but didn’t appear to be hostile. It seems they had been chased by a group of elephant poachers,” said U Tun Lay.
“When one household scared them away, they went to another house. If that house scared them off, they went to the next one. The villagers were too scared to sleep that night [on Monday]. They made noises and lit fires [to keep the elephants away from their houses],” he added.
The elephants were still in the woods near the village on Tuesday morning, he said.
An “elephant-scaring” team was on its way to the village on Tuesday, Khun Pyone Naing, head of Ngapudaw Township Forestry Department, told The Irrawaddy.
The team, formed in June this year and made up of non-governmental organization workers, Forestry Police offers and Myanma Timber Enterprise staff, is tasked with scaring away elephants from human settlements and protecting them from poachers. It conducts regular patrols in forests, and when necessary drives away wild elephants with the help of domesticated elephants.
“Such places are frequently visited by wild elephants. We will drive them back into the forest with the assistance of domesticated elephants,” Khun Pyone Naing said.
For the time being, Forestry and local police are providing security for the village.
According to local residents, wild elephants usually visit farms in search of food from the time of the paddy harvest in November until around May, just before the rainy season starts.
Elephants have seen their habitats shrink dramatically due illegal logging in recent decades, said Sai Zaw Oo, a supervisor at the Myanmar Elephant Lovers Association, which is based in Ngapudaw Township
“So, they come to human settlements to eat paddy, banana and other crops grown by humans. And this has led to human-elephant conflict” he said.
“At the same time, this has given elephant poachers the opportunity to hunt wild elephants that come and search for food,” he added.
Last year, four local villagers were killed in elephant-human conflicts that erupted after the animals started eating crops near Ngwe Saung Beach in the west of Pathein Township, according to the Ngwe Saung Beach police station.
On Nov. 30 Forestry Department personnel had to drive away a wild elephant after it destroyed a house and killed a pig in Kyaukphya village tract in the west of Pathein Township.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/wild-elephants-destroy-home-crops-ngapudaw-township.html
According to locals, each herd included at least five elephants. The herds arrived separately from the east and west of the Pathein-Mawtin Road in the township’s Dipayone Kwethit village on Monday evening.
“The two herds were only about 500 feet from each other. They seemed to be starving. They came close to the fences of our houses and ate bananas and other crops. Because they came so close to people, Forestry Police had to fire shots to scare them away,” said Tin Chaung village tract administrator U Tun Lay, who helped police drive the wild elephants away.
A house in Dipayone Kwethit was destroyed by elephants that had wandered into the backyard to eat crops. The elephants were not aggressive toward villagers, local residents said.
“The elephants approached the fences of our houses, but didn’t appear to be hostile. It seems they had been chased by a group of elephant poachers,” said U Tun Lay.
“When one household scared them away, they went to another house. If that house scared them off, they went to the next one. The villagers were too scared to sleep that night [on Monday]. They made noises and lit fires [to keep the elephants away from their houses],” he added.
The elephants were still in the woods near the village on Tuesday morning, he said.
An “elephant-scaring” team was on its way to the village on Tuesday, Khun Pyone Naing, head of Ngapudaw Township Forestry Department, told The Irrawaddy.
The team, formed in June this year and made up of non-governmental organization workers, Forestry Police offers and Myanma Timber Enterprise staff, is tasked with scaring away elephants from human settlements and protecting them from poachers. It conducts regular patrols in forests, and when necessary drives away wild elephants with the help of domesticated elephants.
“Such places are frequently visited by wild elephants. We will drive them back into the forest with the assistance of domesticated elephants,” Khun Pyone Naing said.
For the time being, Forestry and local police are providing security for the village.
According to local residents, wild elephants usually visit farms in search of food from the time of the paddy harvest in November until around May, just before the rainy season starts.
Elephants have seen their habitats shrink dramatically due illegal logging in recent decades, said Sai Zaw Oo, a supervisor at the Myanmar Elephant Lovers Association, which is based in Ngapudaw Township
“So, they come to human settlements to eat paddy, banana and other crops grown by humans. And this has led to human-elephant conflict” he said.
“At the same time, this has given elephant poachers the opportunity to hunt wild elephants that come and search for food,” he added.
Last year, four local villagers were killed in elephant-human conflicts that erupted after the animals started eating crops near Ngwe Saung Beach in the west of Pathein Township, according to the Ngwe Saung Beach police station.
On Nov. 30 Forestry Department personnel had to drive away a wild elephant after it destroyed a house and killed a pig in Kyaukphya village tract in the west of Pathein Township.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/wild-elephants-destroy-home-crops-ngapudaw-township.html
Wild elephants destroy houses, paddy plantation in Ayeyawady
PATHEIN- Wild elephants on October 16 entered the villages near Nankathu Dam in Ingapu Township, Ayeyawady Region and destroyed houses and paddy plantations, said villagers.
Informed by the villagers, the Forest Department tried to drive out the wild elephants by using two tamed elephants. But the tamed elephants joined the wild elephants, increasing their number to eight.
Attempts to drive them away have been suspended, and over 100 acres of fields and seven houses have been destroyed.
“We have never seen wild elephants come into our region,” said Kanyutkwin villager Phoe Khwei, age 60. “It is impossible to see elephants outside the village. But now, wild elephants have arrived in our village and they ate our paddy plantations.”
Loss of the plantations is a big financial problem for the small villages. The rice was purchased through loans from the Agricultural Bank.
Locals have met with officials from the Ayeyawady Regional Government Committee’s Office, said Win Tin from Thetyetoak village. “In our group, there are about 12 villagers who lost paddies. Some left the village because they can’t afford transportation charges.
“First, there are about six wild elephants. Later, they were joined by two tamed elephants from the Forest Department. Even the elephant keeper was attacked. The elephants go around the village at night. So, we had to threaten them by igniting bamboo. It’s been over 50 days. We have already suffered from loss of our paddy plantations and are afraid of them.”
The villagers from Kanyutkwin village on November 29 formally asked Ba Hein, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Resources and Environmental Conservation of the Ayeyawady Region Government Committee to help them .
Ba Hein replied that he would be arriving in Kanyutkwin village on December 1, and would settle the problem of wild elephants as soon as possible, according to the villagers.
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Informed by the villagers, the Forest Department tried to drive out the wild elephants by using two tamed elephants. But the tamed elephants joined the wild elephants, increasing their number to eight.
Attempts to drive them away have been suspended, and over 100 acres of fields and seven houses have been destroyed.
“We have never seen wild elephants come into our region,” said Kanyutkwin villager Phoe Khwei, age 60. “It is impossible to see elephants outside the village. But now, wild elephants have arrived in our village and they ate our paddy plantations.”
Loss of the plantations is a big financial problem for the small villages. The rice was purchased through loans from the Agricultural Bank.
Locals have met with officials from the Ayeyawady Regional Government Committee’s Office, said Win Tin from Thetyetoak village. “In our group, there are about 12 villagers who lost paddies. Some left the village because they can’t afford transportation charges.
“First, there are about six wild elephants. Later, they were joined by two tamed elephants from the Forest Department. Even the elephant keeper was attacked. The elephants go around the village at night. So, we had to threaten them by igniting bamboo. It’s been over 50 days. We have already suffered from loss of our paddy plantations and are afraid of them.”
The villagers from Kanyutkwin village on November 29 formally asked Ba Hein, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Resources and Environmental Conservation of the Ayeyawady Region Government Committee to help them .
Ba Hein replied that he would be arriving in Kanyutkwin village on December 1, and would settle the problem of wild elephants as soon as possible, according to the villagers.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/local/12617
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
In a disturbing new trend, poachers are killing Myanmar’s elephants for their skin, teeth, and tails
In a disturbing and growing new trend, Asian elephants of all ages are being slaughtered in Myanmar for their skin and other body parts. Elephant poaching rates since January have already surpassed the annual average for the country—in a country that has less than 2,000 wild Asian elephants, this is a frightening uptick that requires immediate action to ensure their survival.
An astounding 110 elephants have been reported killed since 2013, primarily in the Bago Yoma and Ayeyarwady Delta where armed conflict and a lack of law enforcement make the terrain more accessible to poachers. At this rate, wild elephants could vanish from these two key areas of Myanmar in only one or two years.
“Asian elephants are already facing tremendous challenges across their range,” said WWF’s Nilanga Jayasinghe, senior program officer for Asian species. “Adding to those is this new trend that we are seeing in Myanmar of herds being indiscriminately poached for their skin. It is extremely alarming. We must act now to protect them!”
An emerging new threat
There are fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants left in the wild, and fewer than 2,000 in Myanmar. For decades, they’ve faced the threats of habitat loss, human-elephant conflict, and, to a lesser extent, poaching. But poaching for body parts other than tusks (only male Asian elephants grow tusks, and only 1% of male elephants in Myanmar have tusks) is on the rise.
Elephant skin is sold dried and is mixed with other ingredients to make topical creams for dry skin conditions, and consumed as medicine for stomach ailments. The skin is also polished into beads and sold as lucky charm bracelets, while tail hairs are put into silver rings and worn for luck. Elephant teeth are ground down into a powder which is used on the face to reduce spots and inflammation. Most markets selling elephant products sit along the border regions of China, Laos, and Thailand, but there’s also a demand in Myanmar.
We can help protect Myanmar’s wild elephants
Right now, there are no anti-poaching patrols in the Bago Yoma and Ayeyarwady Delta regions. That’s why WWF is launching an emergency action plan to train, equip, and deploy 10 anti-poaching teams to the most vulnerable areas, and implementing a thorough plan to stop the slaughter.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://animals.gimbot.xyz/in-a-disturbing-new-trend-poachers-are-killing-myanmars-elephants-for-their-skin-teeth-and-tails/
An astounding 110 elephants have been reported killed since 2013, primarily in the Bago Yoma and Ayeyarwady Delta where armed conflict and a lack of law enforcement make the terrain more accessible to poachers. At this rate, wild elephants could vanish from these two key areas of Myanmar in only one or two years.
“Asian elephants are already facing tremendous challenges across their range,” said WWF’s Nilanga Jayasinghe, senior program officer for Asian species. “Adding to those is this new trend that we are seeing in Myanmar of herds being indiscriminately poached for their skin. It is extremely alarming. We must act now to protect them!”
An emerging new threat
There are fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants left in the wild, and fewer than 2,000 in Myanmar. For decades, they’ve faced the threats of habitat loss, human-elephant conflict, and, to a lesser extent, poaching. But poaching for body parts other than tusks (only male Asian elephants grow tusks, and only 1% of male elephants in Myanmar have tusks) is on the rise.
Elephant skin is sold dried and is mixed with other ingredients to make topical creams for dry skin conditions, and consumed as medicine for stomach ailments. The skin is also polished into beads and sold as lucky charm bracelets, while tail hairs are put into silver rings and worn for luck. Elephant teeth are ground down into a powder which is used on the face to reduce spots and inflammation. Most markets selling elephant products sit along the border regions of China, Laos, and Thailand, but there’s also a demand in Myanmar.
We can help protect Myanmar’s wild elephants
Right now, there are no anti-poaching patrols in the Bago Yoma and Ayeyarwady Delta regions. That’s why WWF is launching an emergency action plan to train, equip, and deploy 10 anti-poaching teams to the most vulnerable areas, and implementing a thorough plan to stop the slaughter.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://animals.gimbot.xyz/in-a-disturbing-new-trend-poachers-are-killing-myanmars-elephants-for-their-skin-teeth-and-tails/
Friday, November 03, 2017
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.
To read the full article, click on the story title
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.
To read the full article, click on the story title
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Terrifying new elephant poaching epidemic to meet demand for ‘health’ jewellery made from their skin
Lying slaughtered in a forest clearing, its skin half-peeled, the elephant is one of 20 found dead the same day, many of them mothers and calves, all killed by poisoned dart.
But these animals were not butchered for their precious ivory tusks; they were killed for their thick, grey hide.
It is hacked off while their bodies are still warm. The rest of the beast is left to rot.
Just last week Environment Secretary Michael Gove announced plans to ban all ivory sales in the UK, in an attempt to help save elephants across the globe.
But the Mirror has learned that record numbers of Asian elephants face a terrifying new poaching epidemic – for a sick trend of jewellery made from their skin.
Monica Wrobel, head of conservation at wildlife charity Elephant Family, said: “These elephants were killed to order. The herd were tracked, slaughtered, and every bit of skin taken.”
The skin is polished and made into blood-red beads, which are sold as bracelets and necklaces at up to £75 each. Traders claim they can ward off illness.
Demand for the illegal jewellery is already so high in China that dealers are demanding more elephant skin from smugglers.
Last year, rangers found more than 60 elephants butchered for skin in Myanmar, formerly Burma – now the epicentre of this poaching epidemic.
This year has been worse. Investigators seized 66 trunks in a single haul. Two herds were slaughtered, with a further six skinned elephants found in six weeks in the summer.
And if demand for beads continues to grow at this rate, these already endangered animals could be poached to the brink of extinction within two years.
To read the full article, click on the story title
But these animals were not butchered for their precious ivory tusks; they were killed for their thick, grey hide.
It is hacked off while their bodies are still warm. The rest of the beast is left to rot.
Just last week Environment Secretary Michael Gove announced plans to ban all ivory sales in the UK, in an attempt to help save elephants across the globe.
But the Mirror has learned that record numbers of Asian elephants face a terrifying new poaching epidemic – for a sick trend of jewellery made from their skin.
Monica Wrobel, head of conservation at wildlife charity Elephant Family, said: “These elephants were killed to order. The herd were tracked, slaughtered, and every bit of skin taken.”
The skin is polished and made into blood-red beads, which are sold as bracelets and necklaces at up to £75 each. Traders claim they can ward off illness.
Demand for the illegal jewellery is already so high in China that dealers are demanding more elephant skin from smugglers.
Last year, rangers found more than 60 elephants butchered for skin in Myanmar, formerly Burma – now the epicentre of this poaching epidemic.
This year has been worse. Investigators seized 66 trunks in a single haul. Two herds were slaughtered, with a further six skinned elephants found in six weeks in the summer.
And if demand for beads continues to grow at this rate, these already endangered animals could be poached to the brink of extinction within two years.
To read the full article, click on the story title
Animal ranger held captive and beaten for three days after trying to stop poachers
Rohit Singh sat slumped in the corner of his locked cell, the hunger pains in his stomach throbbing in time with the bruises that covered his body.
He dreaded the sound of the key in the lock – that would mean yet another beating.
He was to spend three days held hostage, his captors the poachers who slaughter elephants and other animals to make a quick buck.
Yesterday, the Mirror revealed elephants in Myanmar, where Rohit worked, could be pushed to the brink of extinction within two years because of a new Asian craze to turn their skin into beads – which traders claim have health benefits.
Some 20 elephants were found killed and skinned in one day alone in the war-torn country.
But while action groups and charities are trying to stop the poaching, rangers such as Rohit are facing an explosion of violence against them, as they try to tackle the criminals while surviving on as little as £1.50 a day from local authorities.
Rohit, 33, tells the Mirror how he was kidnapped after trying to go undercover with a poaching gang – but had his cover blown by a drunk colleague.
“A gang of them beat me up and locked me in a room for three days,” he says. “Every so often, they would come back and attack me again, trying to beat information out of me.” He was only saved because a back-up unit was on standby, waiting to raid the building if they did not hear from Rohit for 48 hours. They rescued him, seized the animal parts and arrested the poachers.
To read the full article, click on the story title
He dreaded the sound of the key in the lock – that would mean yet another beating.
He was to spend three days held hostage, his captors the poachers who slaughter elephants and other animals to make a quick buck.
Yesterday, the Mirror revealed elephants in Myanmar, where Rohit worked, could be pushed to the brink of extinction within two years because of a new Asian craze to turn their skin into beads – which traders claim have health benefits.
Some 20 elephants were found killed and skinned in one day alone in the war-torn country.
But while action groups and charities are trying to stop the poaching, rangers such as Rohit are facing an explosion of violence against them, as they try to tackle the criminals while surviving on as little as £1.50 a day from local authorities.
Rohit, 33, tells the Mirror how he was kidnapped after trying to go undercover with a poaching gang – but had his cover blown by a drunk colleague.
“A gang of them beat me up and locked me in a room for three days,” he says. “Every so often, they would come back and attack me again, trying to beat information out of me.” He was only saved because a back-up unit was on standby, waiting to raid the building if they did not hear from Rohit for 48 hours. They rescued him, seized the animal parts and arrested the poachers.
To read the full article, click on the story title
Rohingya refugees at risk of elephant attacks
Rohingya refugees have been setting up makeshift shelters in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf and Ukhiya by blocking wild elephants’ path, which may compel elephants to leave their sanctuary and attack the occupants. Researchers and forest conservation officers said the refugees are settling in areas from Kutupalong camp to Balukhali camp which are designated as wild elephant routes.
Also Read- 2 die as elephants stampede through Rohingya slumThe report said around 78 wild elephants live in the conserved forests of Ukhiya and Teknaf areas in dry season. Southern Cox’s Bazar Divisional Forest Conservation Officer Ali Kabir said: “Teknaf and Ukhiya areas are the elephants’ main habitat.
According to the UN, 480,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh’s southeastern border region since August 25 military crackdown against Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
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Also Read- 2 die as elephants stampede through Rohingya slumThe report said around 78 wild elephants live in the conserved forests of Ukhiya and Teknaf areas in dry season. Southern Cox’s Bazar Divisional Forest Conservation Officer Ali Kabir said: “Teknaf and Ukhiya areas are the elephants’ main habitat.
According to the UN, 480,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh’s southeastern border region since August 25 military crackdown against Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
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Saturday, September 30, 2017
Passage for elephants blocked
The natural corridors for around 50 wild elephants in Ukhia's reserve forest area have been blocked by temporary camps set up for the helpless Rohingya refugees.
Experts say the animals, which come from Bandarban's Naikhyangchhari usually during the winter, might face the threat of extinction if the situation does not change.
They say many parts of the 30,000 acres of forest land in Ukhia have already been razed to the ground and the Rohingya settlement could be the final nail in the coffin for the large mammals.
Elephants, which move in groups, go on seasonal migrations in search of food, water, minerals, and mates.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, biodiversity expert Anisuzzaman, chief adviser of Isabella Foundation, said the around 50 elephants, which were already in trouble due to the construction of Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway, could face the threat of extinction if their migratory routes are kept blocked.
He said once the corridors are closed, the animals would start mating within the group, resulting in weaker breeds. In the long run, the elephants might not survive, he added.
Anisuzzaman also said such closure of the corridors could trigger human-elephant conflicts in the area, leading to deaths on both sides.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the conflict is a result of habitat loss and fragmentation. When elephants and humans interact, there is a conflict from elephant raids, leading to injuries and deaths of humans. Also, elephants are killed by humans for reasons other than ivory collection, it says.
A forest official said two Rohingyas died after being trampled by elephants last week.
Again, in the face of the conflict, elephants often stop using their usual migratory routes and in many cases, they start mating within their group, say experts.
Over 429,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh, after violence broke out in their homeland in Mynanmar's Rakhine on August 25.
Failing to get place in the registered camps, many of the refugees had to set up camps by the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway. Unfortunately, the camps blocked the elephant corridors in Ukhia.
In a month or so, forest officials said, over 4,500 acres of the reserve forest area in Ukhia had been completely destroyed in addition to the damages caused earlier.
Again, the government has recently allocated 2,000 acres of reserve forest land in Ukhia Ghat Mouja area for setting up a new camp for the Rohingyas.
Contacted, Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Ali Hossain said the government had no other option but to allocate the reserve forest land for the refugees. He said the administration had no khas land in its possession.
The inter-sector coordination group, a consortium of foreign donors, was working to build the camp, said forest officials.
Visiting the Ukhia Ghat Mouja, these correspondents saw that around one fifth of the 30,000 acres of land already had many new and old Rohingya settlements on it.
Similar camps were seen in Shilkhali and Whykang Moujas in Teknaf, and in private rubber plantation area in Naikhyangchhari of Bandarban.
A huge area of the reserve forest has been razed to the ground. Old clothes, plastic bottles, polythene bags remain scattered at places.
The district administration sources said many of the 14 new camps were blocking the elephant corridors, including those in Ukhia.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, several civil society members said the government should act faster to ensure that the natural elephant corridors are freed. They said it would help the animals migrate without any trouble.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/mayanmar-rohingya-refugee-crisis-elephants-lose-turf-camps-refugees-1466761
Experts say the animals, which come from Bandarban's Naikhyangchhari usually during the winter, might face the threat of extinction if the situation does not change.
They say many parts of the 30,000 acres of forest land in Ukhia have already been razed to the ground and the Rohingya settlement could be the final nail in the coffin for the large mammals.
Elephants, which move in groups, go on seasonal migrations in search of food, water, minerals, and mates.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, biodiversity expert Anisuzzaman, chief adviser of Isabella Foundation, said the around 50 elephants, which were already in trouble due to the construction of Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway, could face the threat of extinction if their migratory routes are kept blocked.
He said once the corridors are closed, the animals would start mating within the group, resulting in weaker breeds. In the long run, the elephants might not survive, he added.
Anisuzzaman also said such closure of the corridors could trigger human-elephant conflicts in the area, leading to deaths on both sides.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the conflict is a result of habitat loss and fragmentation. When elephants and humans interact, there is a conflict from elephant raids, leading to injuries and deaths of humans. Also, elephants are killed by humans for reasons other than ivory collection, it says.
A forest official said two Rohingyas died after being trampled by elephants last week.
Again, in the face of the conflict, elephants often stop using their usual migratory routes and in many cases, they start mating within their group, say experts.
Over 429,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh, after violence broke out in their homeland in Mynanmar's Rakhine on August 25.
Failing to get place in the registered camps, many of the refugees had to set up camps by the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway. Unfortunately, the camps blocked the elephant corridors in Ukhia.
In a month or so, forest officials said, over 4,500 acres of the reserve forest area in Ukhia had been completely destroyed in addition to the damages caused earlier.
Again, the government has recently allocated 2,000 acres of reserve forest land in Ukhia Ghat Mouja area for setting up a new camp for the Rohingyas.
Contacted, Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Ali Hossain said the government had no other option but to allocate the reserve forest land for the refugees. He said the administration had no khas land in its possession.
The inter-sector coordination group, a consortium of foreign donors, was working to build the camp, said forest officials.
Visiting the Ukhia Ghat Mouja, these correspondents saw that around one fifth of the 30,000 acres of land already had many new and old Rohingya settlements on it.
Similar camps were seen in Shilkhali and Whykang Moujas in Teknaf, and in private rubber plantation area in Naikhyangchhari of Bandarban.
A huge area of the reserve forest has been razed to the ground. Old clothes, plastic bottles, polythene bags remain scattered at places.
The district administration sources said many of the 14 new camps were blocking the elephant corridors, including those in Ukhia.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, several civil society members said the government should act faster to ensure that the natural elephant corridors are freed. They said it would help the animals migrate without any trouble.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/mayanmar-rohingya-refugee-crisis-elephants-lose-turf-camps-refugees-1466761
Saturday, September 02, 2017
Myanmar elephant killings raise fears of extinction
At least 30 elephants have been reported killed in Myanmar this year, according to a joint report by the Wildlife Conservation Society, Fauna and Flora International (FFI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) released on August 12, in honor of World Elephant Day.
This year’s death toll exceeds numbers reported in previous years, raising concerns among wildlife conservation professionals about the survival of Myanmar’s wild elephant population.
“This year, 30 elephants have been killed by hunters. Over six weeks, five elephants were killed. It is a bit higher than the average annual number of elephant deaths,” said Aung Myo Chit, the coordinator of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Myanmar.
Myanmar’s wild elephant population is thought to have almost halved over the past decade to between 2,000 and 3,000, though some estimates put the number far lower.
Some elephants are killed in wars waged against humans over land and resources. According to government figures, since 2010, at least 35 people and 95 elephants have died this way.
Even more elephants, however, are targeted by hunters, who use poisoned arrows or rifles to kill the animals so they can sell their body parts. Elephant poaching is thought to have increased tenfold in recent years.
“The illegal trade in elephant skin is rampant,” said Mark Grindley, the Taninthayi programme manager for FFI. “People are using skin as jewelry and medicine. There is an illegal trade in elephant skin and parts of other wild animals at famous destinations like Yangon and Kyaiktiyio Pagoda.”
Elephant skin can sell for up to K5,000 (US$3.65) per square inch.
“Poachers kill female and baby elephants for their skin,” said FFI Taninthayi field coordinator Nay Myo Shwe. “Myanmar’s elephants face extinction if it continues.”
Fortunately, wildlife organizations have stepped up to address the poaching crisis. WWF announced on August 10 that it had raised $263,211 from 3,000 supporters to fund an emergency action plan to train rangers to fight wildlife crime.
“Training rangers is the first step on our journey to win this battle against poachers,” said Christy Williams, country director of WWF Myanmar. “Rangers are on the conservation frontlines, protecting the world’s natural and cultural treasures. With their commitment and the help of our supporters, there is hope for Asian elephants.”
The donations funded an eight-day training on law enforcement methods, intelligence gathering and crime scene management for 45 Myanmar rangers. They were also given lessons on the value of biodiversity.
The rangers are expected to begin patrolling next month.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://www.burmeseclassic.org/news_detail_m.php?id=4907&type=3
This year’s death toll exceeds numbers reported in previous years, raising concerns among wildlife conservation professionals about the survival of Myanmar’s wild elephant population.
“This year, 30 elephants have been killed by hunters. Over six weeks, five elephants were killed. It is a bit higher than the average annual number of elephant deaths,” said Aung Myo Chit, the coordinator of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Myanmar.
Myanmar’s wild elephant population is thought to have almost halved over the past decade to between 2,000 and 3,000, though some estimates put the number far lower.
Some elephants are killed in wars waged against humans over land and resources. According to government figures, since 2010, at least 35 people and 95 elephants have died this way.
Even more elephants, however, are targeted by hunters, who use poisoned arrows or rifles to kill the animals so they can sell their body parts. Elephant poaching is thought to have increased tenfold in recent years.
“The illegal trade in elephant skin is rampant,” said Mark Grindley, the Taninthayi programme manager for FFI. “People are using skin as jewelry and medicine. There is an illegal trade in elephant skin and parts of other wild animals at famous destinations like Yangon and Kyaiktiyio Pagoda.”
Elephant skin can sell for up to K5,000 (US$3.65) per square inch.
“Poachers kill female and baby elephants for their skin,” said FFI Taninthayi field coordinator Nay Myo Shwe. “Myanmar’s elephants face extinction if it continues.”
Fortunately, wildlife organizations have stepped up to address the poaching crisis. WWF announced on August 10 that it had raised $263,211 from 3,000 supporters to fund an emergency action plan to train rangers to fight wildlife crime.
“Training rangers is the first step on our journey to win this battle against poachers,” said Christy Williams, country director of WWF Myanmar. “Rangers are on the conservation frontlines, protecting the world’s natural and cultural treasures. With their commitment and the help of our supporters, there is hope for Asian elephants.”
The donations funded an eight-day training on law enforcement methods, intelligence gathering and crime scene management for 45 Myanmar rangers. They were also given lessons on the value of biodiversity.
The rangers are expected to begin patrolling next month.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://www.burmeseclassic.org/news_detail_m.php?id=4907&type=3
Suspect shot in elephant poacher bust
The body of a wild elephant killed in Ayeyawady Region.
A suspected elephant poacher was shot while resisting arrest during a police bust on August 13 in Thabaung Township, Ayeyawady Region.
Suspect Cho Tin, a 55-year-old resident of Ayeywady Region, was wounded on his right thigh and is now being treated at the Pathein General Hospital. Two other suspects who were with Chi Tin at the time of the attempted arrest are on the loose, according to police.
Police Captain Myo Lwin of Thabaung Township said: “We’ve heard about elephant poachers in this region. After spotting a slaughtered elephant, we continued looking for suspects and found them in the middle of the forest. One suspect was aiming his gun at us, so we had to shoot him. The wound was not critical.”
The police also seized two guns, four small tusks and other remains of an elephant.
Soe Tint, chief of the Thabaung Township forestry department, said: “The dead elephant we found was huge. So I assume the poachers are working in large numbers.”
The suspect will face charges for hunting wildlife and carrying weapons.
Police, army and forest guards are carrying out operations against elephant poachers in Thabaung, Ngaputaw and Pathein townships.
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A suspected elephant poacher was shot while resisting arrest during a police bust on August 13 in Thabaung Township, Ayeyawady Region.
Suspect Cho Tin, a 55-year-old resident of Ayeywady Region, was wounded on his right thigh and is now being treated at the Pathein General Hospital. Two other suspects who were with Chi Tin at the time of the attempted arrest are on the loose, according to police.
Police Captain Myo Lwin of Thabaung Township said: “We’ve heard about elephant poachers in this region. After spotting a slaughtered elephant, we continued looking for suspects and found them in the middle of the forest. One suspect was aiming his gun at us, so we had to shoot him. The wound was not critical.”
The police also seized two guns, four small tusks and other remains of an elephant.
Soe Tint, chief of the Thabaung Township forestry department, said: “The dead elephant we found was huge. So I assume the poachers are working in large numbers.”
The suspect will face charges for hunting wildlife and carrying weapons.
Police, army and forest guards are carrying out operations against elephant poachers in Thabaung, Ngaputaw and Pathein townships.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/local/11080
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Traditional medicine threatens Myanmar’s elephants
Trade in elephant skin for use in traditional medicine has increased in Myanmar, alarming conservationists and authorities who have monitored the species’ decline.
Hand-sized coarse pieces of elephant skin are available for sale in major markets in the country, and are sought by clients for their medicinal properties as per local beliefs.
“We have always seen elephant skin for sale. The problem is not new, but yes, the demand is growing,” Chris Shepherd, the Southeast Asia director of wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, told Efe news.
Shepherd said the network had found elephant skin in areas as diverse as the Mongla region in eastern Myanmar, bordering China, and the famous “Golden Rock” in the south.
“The main destination is China, in places such as Mongla Chinese currency is used, Chinese is spoken and the clients too are from that country. However, there is also local consumption,” he explained.
Laminated strips of elephant hide can be found along with other valued parts of the animal, such as tusks and hooves, and different birds, felines, primates and reptiles.
The government and conservationists are not in agreement on the number of elephants killed by traffickers.
While the authorities say that at least around a dozen pachyderms were killed last year, nonprofits claim the number is more than 50 and report an increase in hunting in 2017.
Elephant skin costs around 150,000 Myanmar kyat ($110) for a kg, and is used in traditional medicine to cure eczema and other skin problems, and as an ingredient to make ointments for bleaching treatments.
In January, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation approved a 10-year plan with the aim of boosting the protection and conservation of elephants.
According to unofficial figures, there are between 1,400 and 2,000 wild elephants and some 6,000 in captivity in Myanmar.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://www.india.com/news/agencies/traditional-medicine-threatens-myanmars-elephants-2317721/
Hand-sized coarse pieces of elephant skin are available for sale in major markets in the country, and are sought by clients for their medicinal properties as per local beliefs.
“We have always seen elephant skin for sale. The problem is not new, but yes, the demand is growing,” Chris Shepherd, the Southeast Asia director of wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, told Efe news.
Shepherd said the network had found elephant skin in areas as diverse as the Mongla region in eastern Myanmar, bordering China, and the famous “Golden Rock” in the south.
“The main destination is China, in places such as Mongla Chinese currency is used, Chinese is spoken and the clients too are from that country. However, there is also local consumption,” he explained.
Laminated strips of elephant hide can be found along with other valued parts of the animal, such as tusks and hooves, and different birds, felines, primates and reptiles.
The government and conservationists are not in agreement on the number of elephants killed by traffickers.
While the authorities say that at least around a dozen pachyderms were killed last year, nonprofits claim the number is more than 50 and report an increase in hunting in 2017.
Elephant skin costs around 150,000 Myanmar kyat ($110) for a kg, and is used in traditional medicine to cure eczema and other skin problems, and as an ingredient to make ointments for bleaching treatments.
In January, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation approved a 10-year plan with the aim of boosting the protection and conservation of elephants.
According to unofficial figures, there are between 1,400 and 2,000 wild elephants and some 6,000 in captivity in Myanmar.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://www.india.com/news/agencies/traditional-medicine-threatens-myanmars-elephants-2317721/
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Elephant Killed by Poisoned Bolt in Irrawaddy Region
PATHEIN, Irrawaddy Region — A wild elephant was hunted and killed with a poisoned bolt—an arrow shot from a crossbow—in the village tract of Tin Chaung in Irrawaddy Region’s Ngapudaw Township.
Following a report from locals, a combined team from the Forestry Department, Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department, police, forestry police and administrative authorities searched the forest and found the dying elephant near the village of Yawn Yin on Friday.
“After it was reported, we searched for and found the poisoned elephant. It had not died yet and the poachers were likely waiting for it to die. We had to flee at one point when it tried to attack but it died later in the evening,” head of Ngapudaw Township Forestry Department U Tin Soe told The Irrawaddy.
The black female elephant was 26 years old, 7.6 feet long, 15 feet in circumference, and its trunk was 4.8 feet long. A 16-inch poisoned bolt was found in its shoulder.
Nine elephants have been killed by poachers in Irrawaddy Region as of January, all by poisoned bolts, according to the Irrawaddy Region Police Force.
Forest reserves in Pathein, Ngapudaw and Thabaung townships in Pathein District are home to wild elephants.
Poachers take the tusks, hide, flesh, and tails from hunted elephants and sell them to smugglers along the Pathein-Mawtin road. From there, smugglers take the items via the Pathein-Monywa road to Mandalay Region, where they smuggle them into China via the Mandalay-Muse road.
The majority of the elephant poachers have been from Minbu, Ngape, and Sidoktaya townships in Magwe Region, according to the Irrawaddy Region Police Force.
“We’ve opened a case at the police station, and we are working to find the poachers,” said U Tin Soe.
Locals have suggested conducting routine security patrols around the forest and installing inspection gates along the route to prevent poaching.
Last year, poachers killed 13 wild elephants in the region and police arrested hunters in four of the cases. They are still investigating six cases and closed three cases, as they could not identify the poachers.
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Following a report from locals, a combined team from the Forestry Department, Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department, police, forestry police and administrative authorities searched the forest and found the dying elephant near the village of Yawn Yin on Friday.
“After it was reported, we searched for and found the poisoned elephant. It had not died yet and the poachers were likely waiting for it to die. We had to flee at one point when it tried to attack but it died later in the evening,” head of Ngapudaw Township Forestry Department U Tin Soe told The Irrawaddy.
The black female elephant was 26 years old, 7.6 feet long, 15 feet in circumference, and its trunk was 4.8 feet long. A 16-inch poisoned bolt was found in its shoulder.
Nine elephants have been killed by poachers in Irrawaddy Region as of January, all by poisoned bolts, according to the Irrawaddy Region Police Force.
Forest reserves in Pathein, Ngapudaw and Thabaung townships in Pathein District are home to wild elephants.
Poachers take the tusks, hide, flesh, and tails from hunted elephants and sell them to smugglers along the Pathein-Mawtin road. From there, smugglers take the items via the Pathein-Monywa road to Mandalay Region, where they smuggle them into China via the Mandalay-Muse road.
The majority of the elephant poachers have been from Minbu, Ngape, and Sidoktaya townships in Magwe Region, according to the Irrawaddy Region Police Force.
“We’ve opened a case at the police station, and we are working to find the poachers,” said U Tin Soe.
Locals have suggested conducting routine security patrols around the forest and installing inspection gates along the route to prevent poaching.
Last year, poachers killed 13 wild elephants in the region and police arrested hunters in four of the cases. They are still investigating six cases and closed three cases, as they could not identify the poachers.
Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/elephant-killed-poisoned-bolt-irrawaddy-region.html
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