Myanmar to set up elephant sanctuary

Nay Pyi Taw: Myanmar authorities will set up an elephant sanctuary and several rehabilitation camps in the country's southern Bago mountains, officials said on Thursday.

The forest surrounding the mountains cover an area of 145 hectares and provide sanctuary for other wild animals and vegetation too, Xinhua news agency reported.

The sanctuary will be set up by a NGO in cooperation with Four Paws International (FPI).

There will also be four to five rehabilitation camps which will nurse sick, injured and old elephants back to health.

Myanmar has over 3,000 wild elephants and about 5,000 in captivity

FPI has founded animal sanctuaries in nine countries and it has plans to establish a sanctuary in Vietnam.