White Elephant Captured in Arakan

By Khaing Khaing Zan
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Maungdaw: Burmese authorities captured a rare white elephant on Sunday in the deep forest of the Mayu Range in Maungdaw Township on the western Burmese border, according to local and official reports.

The white elephant is reportedly young and fairly small, and has pearl-colored eyes and light pink skin.

The white elephant was captured by a group of officials from the forest department with the help of local villagers in the deep forest near Pawet Chaung Village in northern Maungdaw Township.

The elephant was moved to the Nga Khura Nasaka outpost yesterday to begin training.

According to a Nasaka source, the elephant will be brought to Naypyidaw, the new capital of Burma, after being trained in Arakan for seven days.

This is the third rare white elephant to be found in Burma after two were captured in the same mountain range in Arakan State in 2001 and 2002. The elephants have been placed in a garden in Rangoon that allows visitors.

In Burma, the ancient kings believed that white elephants were strong symbols of royalty, power, and prosperity, and that possession of a white elephant increased their own power.

Narinjara