THE Yangon Region Forest Department has reported that measures will be taken to con­trol the movement of wild el­ephants in townships border­ing forest reserves in Yangon Region.

 

In Hlegu and Taikkyi town­ships, which are adjacent to the Bago Yoma forest area, a herd of approximately 30 wild elephants has been roaming, leading to conflicts with residents.

 

These incidents have re­sulted in fatalities among locals and injuries or deaths of the wild elephants. To address these is­sues, the Forest Department, in collaboration with NGOs, plans to install electric fences in areas where human-elephant conflicts occur. These efforts aim to control the movement of wild elephants and reduce conflicts between humans and elephants.

 

“During this season, as wild elephants are likely to enter crops plantations, we are con­ducting awareness campaigns in villages and farmlands. These campaigns include installing electric fences to prevent their intrusion, educating locals on how to respond if they encoun­ter elephants, and sharing preventive measures.

 

In particular, the installa­tion of electric fences on farms and in villages is being demon­strated practically to ensure that they pose no danger to either humans or elephants. These demonstrations are aimed at raising awareness among students and young people. Additionally, villagers have shown increasing inter­est in installing electric fences over the past few years,” said an official from the Forest De­partment.

 

Furthermore, elephants are classified as fully protect­ed animals under the Protec­tion of Wildlife and Conser­vation of Natural Areas Law, enacted in 1994.

 

Due to the frequent hu­man-elephant conflicts in ar­eas where elephants forage, the Forest Department has been continuously conduct­ing awareness programmes to help local communities under­stand elephant behaviour and implement effective mitiga­tion measures. — ASH/TMT