Hospital Grounds Updates: Fresh Water, School, Grass Plantation

AES is delighted to share this report recapping their past efforts with the elephant hospital in Myanmar. We have been able to financially support this project for over two years due to YOUR generous contributions:

Main Hospital

We constructed the elephant hospital which was funded by AES in 2014. This is the first building for treating and dispensing medication to sick elephants in Myanmar. This hospital is intended for all elephants; not just government elephants but also for privately owned elephants whose owners want to have their health assessed.

AES also funded this shelter where we can keep the sick or the babies and mother elephants under the shade of this building.

Infirmary

The grass was planted last year and the grass plantation was widened this year by about one acre by the mahouts. This grass is intended for babies or infirm elephants at the hospital.

Grass Plantation

AES funded water resources in 2016 not only for the elephants but also for mahouts’ families in that area. Clean water pumped from this well is used not only for washing and cooking but for drinking as well. The water tank can store about 800 or 900 gallons.

Water line to hospital

This is the primary school for mahouts’ children who are living at the elephant hospital. The school teachers’ salaries are provided by the Myanma Timber Enterprise. The funds for this building were provided by AES in 2016. During the 2016 academic year, we had five primary school children and more than five preschool children in attendance.

Elephant Hospital

The Elephant Hospital

The Myanmar Elephant Hospital is situated in the Bago (East) region in the central part of the country. It is located 138 miles from the city of Yangon and 40 miles from the city of Taungoo. The hospital was constructed by the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE) under the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry.

There are four MTE elephant agencies in Bago (East) and three agencies in Bago (West) for a total of approximately 400 captive elephants in the region. Besides these elephants, the hospital will help other elephants from the Nay Pyi Taw and Ayeyarwaddy regions, as well as privately owned elephants.

The area surrounding the hospital has approximately 6000 acres of forest for elephants, and some wild elephants use this forest. The hospital land sits on both sides of a small river.

The objectives of the Myanmar Elephant Hospital are as follows:

1. To provide good elephant health care,

2. To enable elephant research with local and international experts and other range countries in Asia,

3. To provide care for old or disabled captive elephants,

4. To promote elephant conservation and forest protection.

In the Myanmar Elephant Hospital area, there are 30 houses for Mahouts (elephant handlers) and their families, and one main hospital building.

Mahout Housing

In addition to the buildings, more than 500 plants (multiple species) have been planted around the hospital grounds. Nurseries for trees and plants will be established so that the area can be replanted every year. Fodder plants for elephant food will be grown on site.

During the first phase of construction, Asian Elephant Support provided funds to purchase building supplies and equipment, and to install a water resource system for the hospital building and the mahout living area consisting of wells and pipes. Solar panels for electricity for the hospital and mahout houses have been donated by the local community.

Water system for hospital, school, and homes