Elephants, Tigers, Bears, and Conservation Under Political Crisis
Myanmar harbors extraordinary wildlife — one of Southeast Asia's most biodiverse countries, with populations of Asian elephants, tigers, snow leopards in the northern highlands, Irrawaddy dolphins, and hundreds of endemic species. Since the military coup of February 2021, conservation programs have been severely disrupted, international NGOs have withdrawn or curtailed operations, and evidence strongly suggests that wildlife trafficking and poaching have increased significantly in the lawless border regions that now operate as virtual open markets for illegal wildlife. The welfare implications for individual animals are severe, and the conservation crisis compounds welfare harms in ways that will take decades to reverse.
Myanmar's military coup overthrew an elected civilian government and triggered ongoing armed conflict between the military and resistance forces. For wildlife welfare, the coup has had multiple devastating effects:
Myanmar has one of Southeast Asia's most significant Asian elephant populations — estimated at 1,500–2,000 wild elephants, plus approximately 5,000 captive "timber elephants" used historically in the logging industry. The welfare of both populations is severely affected by the political crisis.
Myanmar's government-owned Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE) operated the world's largest captive elephant workforce — thousands of animals used for log extraction in teak forests. A 2014 ban on raw timber exports was intended to transition Myanmar toward processed wood, reducing demand for timber elephant labor. The coup has disrupted this transition, and the fate of thousands of timber elephants — their care, feeding, and future — has become deeply uncertain in the chaos of armed conflict.
Wild elephants in Myanmar face increased poaching pressure post-coup — both for ivory and for live capture. Myanmar has become a source country for live elephants trafficked to Thailand and China for tourism operations. Capture methods — pit traps, drive hunts — cause acute suffering and high capture mortality. Post-capture holding conditions documented at illegal transit points show extreme neglect.
Myanmar's tiger population — estimated at 22 individuals as of the most recent survey — was already critically low before the coup. Myanmar lies within the ASEAN Tiger Recovery Programme range but has been unable to meaningfully participate in regional conservation coordination post-2021. The welfare implications for Myanmar's remaining tigers are stark: with anti-poaching enforcement essentially collapsed in most tiger habitat, the animals face extreme poaching pressure with no institutional protection.
Myanmar hosts both sun bears and Asiatic black bears (moon bears). Bear bile farming — extracting bile from captive bears through invasive procedures — was documented in Myanmar before the coup, primarily in ethnic minority border areas with limited central government oversight. Post-coup, welfare oversight of bear facilities has become essentially impossible. Rescued bears from bile farms and the wildlife trade were previously held at government facilities and NGO sanctuaries; the current status of these animals is uncertain.
Myanmar's border regions — particularly in Shan State and Kachin State — have emerged as major wildlife trafficking hubs post-coup. Bears, gibbons, pangolins, slow lorises, and dozens of other species are openly traded in border markets with connections to Chinese buyers.
The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) inhabits the Irrawaddy River and is deeply embedded in Burmese culture — traditionally considered sacred and associated with fishermen's luck. The Myanmar population — the world's most genetically distinct — has declined dramatically due to gillnet bycatch, dynamite fishing, and river pollution. Current population in the Irrawaddy River is estimated at fewer than 100 individuals.
Myanmar's borders — particularly with China and Thailand — have been major wildlife trafficking corridors for decades. The coup has dramatically worsened this situation. Specific concerns in 2025 include:
Despite the political crisis, some Myanmar civil society actors continue wildlife welfare and conservation work under extraordinary difficulty:
The international conservation community faces a genuine dilemma in Myanmar: engagement with military-controlled government channels is politically unacceptable, but disengagement leaves wildlife with no international support. Pragmatic responses have included:
Myanmar's wildlife faces a genuine welfare and conservation emergency. The coup has dismantled conservation infrastructure built over decades, opened border regions to unrestricted trafficking, and left thousands of captive elephants in uncertain welfare conditions. Recovery will require political change as a prerequisite — meaningful wildlife welfare and conservation work in Myanmar cannot reach its potential while armed conflict prevents field access and international engagement. In the interim, supporting local civil society actors, maintaining remote monitoring capacity, and sustaining regional cooperation are the most meaningful interventions available. The elephants, tigers, bears, and dolphins of Myanmar deserve sustained international attention even when direct intervention is impossible.