Myanmar maintains the worlds largest working elephant population in the timber industry, with welfare conditions shaped by traditional mahout culture, work demands, and changing management norms.
Myanmar timber elephants represent a unique welfare context — large working populations with multigenerational mahout-elephant bonds, operating within a traditional knowledge system that has genuine welfare-relevant insights alongside practices that cause unnecessary suffering. Research programs working with timber elephants have shown that reducing work hours, improving veterinary care, and reforming breaking-in procedures extend working lifespan and improve reproductive success. The transition away from logging creates economic pressure on mahouts and welfare uncertainty for the elephants themselves.