Approximately 133 wild elephants died between 2010 and 2016, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation as quoted by 7Day.
Of the 133 elephants, 72 were found dead in their natural surroundings, while the remaining 61 died as a result of illegal poaching.
The highest number of deaths took place in the Ayeyarwady Region, followed by the Bago and Yangon regions, respectively.
“The reason that the numbers have increased is because when poachers illegally kill elephants in Africa and sell their tusks, it catches the attention of the international community and organizations like Interpol carry out investigations. Because all the attention is on Africa, poachers have now turned towards elephants in Asia,” said Win Naing Thaw, director of the Ministry’s Natural and Wildlife Conservation department.
According to an official from the Ministry, elephants are usually killed as an act of revenge following an argument between their owners or, as is more often the case, by poachers who cut up and freeze their body parts to bring into neighboring countries such as China and Thailand via land for trading and selling.
While authorities are trying to tackle the poaching matter, it’s not an easy battle. Tin Soe, a forestry officer from the Ayeyarwady Region, explained, “These days, poachers are alerted by phone if we’re coming and have a chance to escape before we can get to them. Additionally, they have weapons, so it’s difficult for us to come for them in the middle of the night.”
Recently, the Myanmar government has been making efforts to combat the issue of increasing elephant deaths. Last year, forestry department officials and international conservation groups held a workshop to address the “alarming increase in human and wild elephant deaths because of a loss of natural habitat.”
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