YANGON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's first elephant museum has been opened in Yangon to mark the World Wildlife Day.
Aiming to raise people's awareness on the protection and conservation of wildlife as well as on eradicating illegal wildlife trade, the museum, funded by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), was opened on Sunday as part of the Natural History Museum in Yangon Zoological Garden compound.
"It is necessary to preserve and protect the noble giants of the country," Union Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U Ohn Win told the opening ceremony.
Educational materials and messages are showcased in both Myanmar and English language for the public to know the importance of elephants, threats they are facing and how to take measures to protect the country's wild and domesticated elephants.
At present, there are about 1,500 wild elephants and around 3,000-5,000 domesticated ones in the country.
