lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

easts’. Though Myanmar’s natural biodiversity has no doubt alteredconsiderably since that time, it’s difficult to say by just how much.The most comprehensive wildlife survey available was undertaken bythe Bombay Natural History Society (www.bnhs.org) between 1912 and1921 and published as the Mammal Survey of India, Burma and Ceylon.In Myanmar The Wild Animals of Burma, published in 1967, is the most‘recent’ work available and even this volume simply contains extractsfrom various surveys carried out by the British between 1912 and 1941,with a few observations dating to 1961. The US-based Wildlife ConservationSociety (www.wcs.org) has engaged in a number of localised surveys,primarily in the far north, over the past few years, but currently nobodyis attempting a full nationwide stocktake of plants and animals.As with Myanmar’s flora, the variation in Myanmar’s wildlife is closelyassociated with the country’s geographic and climatic differences. Hencethe indigenous fauna of the country’s northern half is mostly of Indo-Chinese origin, while that of the south is generally Sundaic (ie typical ofMalaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Java). In the Himalayan region north ofthe Tropic of Cancer (just north of Lashio), the fauna is similar to thatfound in northeastern India. In the area extending from around Myitkyinain the north to the Bago Mountains in the central region, there is overlapbetween geographical and vegetative zones – which means that much ofMyanmar is a potential habitat for plants and animals from all three zones.Distinctive mammals found in dwindling numbers within the moreheavily forested areas of Myanmar include leopards, fishing cats, civets,Indian mongooses, crab-eating mongooses, Himalayan bears, Asiaticblack bears, Malayan sun bears, gaur (Indian bison), banteng (wildcattle), serow (an Asiatic mountain goat), wild boars, sambar, barkingdeer, mouse deer, tapirs, pangolin, gibbons and macaques. Sea mammalsinclude dolphins and dugongs.Reptiles and amphibians include 27 turtle species (of which sevenare found exclusively in Myanmar), along with numerous snake varieties,of which an astounding 52 are venomous, including the commonSee www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure (searchfor ‘Rabinowitz’)for an in-depthinterview withAlan Rabinowitz,the man who hasdone more forconservation inMyanmar thananyone else.323ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE FLORA & FAUNAMYANMAR’S ECO TREASURE CHESTMyanmar has long intrigued scientists who believe that many critically endangeredspecies, or even species that are new to science, might be living in closed-off parts ofthe country. As remote parts of the country have opened up, the scientists’ hopes havebeen proven correct.In 2010, the BBC reported the discovery of a new species of primate, since dubbedthe Burmese snub-nosed monkey. It’s estimated there’s a population of between 260and 330 of these monkeys living by the Mekong and Thanlwin rivers in Kachin State.In 2009, a team of World Conservation Society scientists discovered five Arakan forestturtles amid thick stands of bamboo in a sanctuary set up originally to protect elephants.Previously this critically endangered species, less than a foot long and with a light brownshell, had only been seen in museum specimens and a handful of captive examples.The Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, also known as the bumblebee bat, is another rare speciesdiscovered in Myanmar in 2001. At a length of 1.25in to 1.5in and weighing in at just0.07oz, the world’s smallest bat, as well as potentially the world’s smallest mammal (itvies with the Etruscan pygmy shrew for this honour), was previously thought to live onlyin a tiny part of western Thailand.The stunningly bright Gurney’s pitta is a small bird that underwent a dramatic declineduring the 20th century, until only a single population in Thailand was known. However, itwas also discovered in Myanmar in 2003, giving hope that it may also be able to survive.In 1999, another previously unknown species, the 25lb, 20in-tall ‘ leaf deer’, or ‘ leafmuntjac’ was confirmed in northern Myanmar. The tiny animal is so called because itcan be wrapped up in a large leaf.