Out of the 7,000 elephants in Myanmar, approximately 2,000 live in the wild and 5,000 are in private keeping or belong to state-owned enterprises.

Of the elephants that are privately or state- owned, 1,000 are former working elephants now “unemployed” due to export bans and logging restrictions. Since the demand for teak has decreased due to strict environmental regulations, many elephants are not needed to carry heavy tree trunks and help with felling. Although these bans and restrictions mean these animals will no longer be succumed to grueling working conditions, this has caused owners of these elephants to kill them or sell them as tourist attractions.

To help save these retired elephants and combat this animal welfare crisis, FOUR PAWS is constructing its first ever elephant sanctuary: ELEPHANTS LAKE. This sanctuary will provide a safe home for endangered animals in the Bago region of Myanmar.