SHWESETTAW Wildlife Sanctuary in Minbu (Sagu) Township, Magway Region conserves 62 Myanmar native species golden deer, a rare and endemic species, according to the Shwesettaw Pagoda Board of Trustees.
The sanctuary is located on 213.4 square miles of land in Minbu (Sagu) Township, in central Myanmar. The sanctuary is established in 1940 to conserve the watershed of Mone and Mann creeks and tropical forests.
The conservation of golden deer started in 2012 with five male and seven female deer from Nay Pyi Taw Safari Park and Bagan Lawkananda Park. At present, there are 18 male and 35 female deer, and nine golden deer calves have been born, totalling 62 deer. In addition to providing feeds to them, they are also carefully nurtured with supplementary feeds.
“The golden deer are the world’s most endangered species. Moreover, the Myanmar golden deer is the resident species found only in our country. Therefore, we have to conserve them to avoid extinction and ensure to raise deer population. During the Shwesettaw pagoda festival, the visitors to well-known tourist areas in Minbu (Sagu) can also observe the golden deer at Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary,” said U Aye Ko, Chairman of the pagoda board of trustees. — Zeyar Naing (Shwekanmyay)/KZL
