YANGON—Myanmar’s first Elephant Museum will open in Yangon on March 3—World Wildlife Day—to raise awareness of the nature and behavior of elephants and the threats they face today, as well as the measures being taken to protect them.

The museum will be operated by the Forest Department as part of the Yangon Zoological Garden’s Natural History Museum.

The elephant museum will educate visitors about the role of wild and working elephants in Myanmar’s history; the basic conflicts between humans and elephants, and possible solutions to them; offenses and penalties concerning the treatment of wild elephants; elephant saddles and other accessories; and more.

“Wild elephants have faced worsening illegal trading and killing in recent years, with at least one a week being killed. So, if we don’t raise public awareness, elephants will disappear in Myanmar within the next 10 years. I think this is the perfect time to open a public museum to raise awareness of the elephants’ plight,” said U Thein Toe, director of the Yangon Region Forest Department.

Fully funded by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Myanmar) the museum was designed by the young Myanmar architect firm WEER. It will include dynamic learning spaces to accommodate visitors of all ages and backgrounds, who will participate interactively with audiovisual displays and hands-on exhibits.

For the first three months, admission to the museum will be free for all visitors. Later, a reasonable entrance fee will be collected.

The museum opens March 3 and will be open from 8 am to 5 pm daily.