South East Asian Trips

Established in 1986, Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Bogalay Township of Ayeyawady Division. It can be reached from Yangon to Bogalay, 99 miles by river launch and Bogalay to Meinmahla Kyun, 12 miles by small motorboat. The Sanctuary has a coverage area of 52.79 square miles. The objectives in establishing the Sanctuary include protection and conservation of degraded mangrove ecosystem from over-exploitation by human, preservation of remnant mangrove forests consisting of 29 different tree species, as seed production areas for plantations, conservation and management of the area as breeding grounds particularly for fish and prawn, implementation of conservation programmes for endangered estuarine crocodiles to increase their population and to conduct research activities on the species, and establishment of a bird sanctuary for protection of resident and migratory water birds as well as shore birds and their habitats.

The kind of forest or vegetation growing in the Sanctuary is predominantly the mangrove species such as Kanazo, Madama, Thame, Thayaw, Kambala, Thinbaung, etc. Wildlife such as otter, sambar, hog deer, wild boar, crab-eating kra, wild dog, turtle and tortoise, estuarine crocodiles, fish, prawn, crab and 34 bird species are known to occur in the area and Ayeyawady Dolphin is said to occur occasionally in the area.

At present, the Ministry of Forestry is carrying out conservation, development and research programmes including conservation of mangrove ecosystem and mangrove forests with natural regeneration practices, reintroduction of estuarine crocodile after nursing the young brood in the research centre so as to increase their population, and construction of wooden tracks in forests. For an ecotourist who cannot resist the attraction of mangrove forests and is curious about reptiles and aquatic animals, Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary is the best place in the country to serve his/her purposes. Some of the opportunities for study and recreation that the nature-lover should not miss include study of mangrove ecosystem and research on mangrove conservation with the practice of natural regeneration method, bird watching, study on behavior of wildlife including reptiles, mammals and aquatic animals, and study on the egg-laying practice of marine turtle at Kadonlay nesting beach.