Total Wild Elephants: 4,000 – 5,000
Country Rankings: 2nd out of 13 Asian countries
Uses of elephants: logging to fulfil needs of timber industry
Threats:
- Habitat Loss and Fragmentation
Although governmental policies are in place for selective logging, there are still illegal logging going on.
- Poaching
Elephants are being poached for ivory, meat and other elephant products. In order to protect the calves, the mother elephant and herd will fight against the hunters and eventually get killed. The calves would then be smuggled to Thailand to work for the tourist industry.
- Domesticated elephants are being used in the timber industry, as it is a crucial part of the Burmese economy. Moreover, there are strict regulations in Burma to care for the welfare of these elephants (Elephants in Myanmar/Burma, n.d.).