STORY: Yangon Zoo celebrates World Elephant Day with awareness activities
SHOOTING TIME: Aug. 11, 2024
DATELINE: Aug. 12, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:19
LOCATION: YANGON, Myanmar
CATEGORY: ANIMALS/ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Yangon Zoological Gardens in Myanmar
2. various of Asian elephants
3. various of visitors

STORYLINE:

In celebration of World Elephant Day, Yangon Zoo in Myanmar hosted a special event on Sunday, featuring an educational booth near the elephant corner to raise awareness about the conservation of these majestic creatures.

Although World Elephant Day officially falls on Monday, the zoo's authorities began their awareness activities on Sunday, a public holiday, when the zoo typically sees its highest visitor turnout.

Dr. Tun Myint, Yangon Zoo's chief veterinarian, on Sunday stressed the importance of conserving elephants, saying, "As elephants are endangered, we take special care of them."

"Elephants play a crucial role in maintaining the ecosystem, so we conduct awareness programs to help conserve them," he said, adding that some countries don't even have elephants, making conservation efforts even more critical.

Yangon Zoo is home to four elephants. Among them, Mo Mo, the oldest Asian elephant, always wins the hearts of visitors. Mo Mo arrived at Yangon Zoo in 1961 when she was about seven years old, and she is now nearly 71. Her longevity and vitality have made her an iconic figure at the zoo, admired by generations of visitors, the zoo's authorities said.

Visitors often share personal stories about Mo Mo when asked about elephants and World Elephant Day.

Aug. 12 marks World Elephant Day, an international annual event to bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Yangon, Myanmar.
(XHTV)