Burmese Tiger Preserve Works to Protect Wildlife

Tigers in Myanmar continue to be threatened by human pressure, and more effort is needed to stop poachers from targeting big cats, especially in Kachin State’s Hukaung Valley.

The Hukaung Valley Tiger Reserve was established by the government in 2001 as the country’s largest wildlife reserve. It is currently 8,452 square miles in size and one of the largest protected forests in the world.

Colin Poole, the Asia program director of the U.S.-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which works in the reserve, said the Myanmar government was doing good work to protect wildlife in the area, even with the drop in the tiger population.

Poaching is the most significant of the three main dangers facing tigers in the reserve. Other threats include habitat loss and reduction of food sources.