PHO KYAR, Mianmar — ʻO ka bipi ʻelepani elepani ʻo Wine Suu Khaing Thein ka mea hoʻohiwahiwa o ka Pho Kyar eco-reserve ma lalo o ke alanui pōhaku ma kahi mauna kaʻawale ma waena o Myanmar.
ʻO ka ʻōpio hoʻokahi makahiki ka muli loa o nā ʻelepani he 80 e holoholo ana i ka ʻāina i hoʻopiha ʻia me nā kumulāʻau teak he mau makahiki a piha i ka mele manu.
ʻOiai ʻo ka ʻōlelo hoʻohiki no ka holo ʻana i ka elephant a me ka hele ʻana i ka ululāʻau, ʻaʻole hiki wale mai nā mākaʻikaʻi kaiapuni a ke kahua hoʻomoana i ka lāhui i hoʻomalu ʻia e ka pūʻali koa, e waiho wale i ka holo ʻana i Pho Kyar mamao.
Ua emi iho ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi i Myanmar mai ka wā i hoʻopaʻa ʻia ai ke koko i ka makahiki 2007 i nā kūʻē kūʻē i ka junta, ʻoiai ʻo ka makani ʻino o ka makahiki i hala a me ke koi ʻana mai nā pūʻulu pro-democracy ma nā ʻāina ʻē e hoʻopaʻa i ka ʻāina e pale aku i ka poʻe hana hoʻomaha.
"He liʻiliʻi loa kā mākou mau malihini kipa i kēia manawa," wahi a kahi luna o Asia Green Travels and Tours Company, nāna e hoʻonohonoho i nā mākaʻikaʻi o Pho Kyar Park, nāna i noi ʻaʻole e kapa ʻia ʻo ia no ka mea ʻaʻole ʻae ʻia ʻo ia e ʻōlelo i ka pāpā.
"ʻAʻole ia no ka paʻakikī o ka lawe ʻana i kēia wahi akā no ka emi ʻana o ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi i kēia mau mahina i hala."
I ka lā i kipa aku ai ʻo AFP, ʻaʻohe malihini a i ʻole malihini kipa ma ka 20-acre (ʻewalu heka) Pho Kyar ma ka mauna Bago, ʻoiai ʻo ia ke kiʻekiʻe o ka manawa mākaʻikaʻi, e holo ana mai ʻOkakopa a ʻApelila.
Akā, ʻo ka manaʻo wale nō i loaʻa iā Wine Suu Khaing Thein, ʻo ia ka hahau ʻana me ka lāʻau ʻohe e kekahi o nā mea lawelawe ʻelepani, i kapa ʻia ʻo Mahouts.
“ʻAʻole pono ʻoe e holo ma ʻō a ma ʻō. E noho ʻoe ma ka ʻaoʻao o kou makuahine," i hoʻōho ai ke kāne, me ka hoʻihoʻi ʻana i ke keiki bipi i kona ʻohana i ko lākou kali ʻana no ka nānā ʻana mai ke kauka.
Aia ma kahi o 200 mau mile (320 kilomika) ka waiho ʻana mai ka hale kalepa a me ka lawe ʻana aku ʻo Yangon, kokoke i ke kapikala hou o ke aupuni koa ʻo Naypyidaw, kahi kūlanakauhale ākea a hūnā ʻia ʻaʻole ʻae ʻia ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi e kipa aku.
Ua hoʻomalu ʻia ʻo Myanmar e nā pūʻali koa like ʻole mai ka makahiki 1962, a ua laka ʻia ke alakaʻi kūʻē ʻo Aung San Suu Kyi a mālama ʻia ma lalo o ka hale paʻahao no ka hapa nui o nā makahiki ʻelua i hala.
Ua koi ʻo ia i nā haole e haʻalele mai Myanmar - i kapa ʻia ʻo Burma - e hōʻole i ka loaʻa kālā o nā aliʻi koa mai ka mākaʻikaʻi, ʻoiai ʻo ia ka mea i noho ʻole ʻia e ka junta ʻaʻole maopopo inā ua loli kona mau manaʻo.
ʻO ka ʻimi ʻana i nā luakini kahiko o Myanmar, nā kūlanakauhale ʻūlū a me nā ululāʻau mamao e hoʻopaʻapaʻa paʻa ana ma waena o ka poʻe huakaʻi, me ka huakaʻi huakaʻi ʻo Rough Guide ʻaʻole i paʻi i kahi puke no ka lāhui ma waho o ke kūʻē.
Ma waho aʻe o nā hoʻopaʻapaʻa moʻomeheu, ʻo ka hāʻule ʻana o ka hoʻokele waiwai o ka honua a me nā hanana hou i Myanmar ua hoʻomake i ka ʻoihana e like me ka loaʻa ʻana o kona mau wāwae.
ʻO nā kiʻi o nā mōneka Buddhist e ʻauheʻe ana i ke kī pū ma nā alanui o Yangon i ka wā kūʻē i ka mahina ʻo Kepakemapa 2007 a me nā kupapaʻu puʻupuʻu e hoʻopuehu ana i nā māla paddy ma ka ʻaoʻao hema ma hope o ka makani ʻino Nargis i ka Mei i hala ʻaʻole i hoʻoulu i ka hilinaʻi o ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi.
Ua ʻōlelo ka hōkele a me ke keʻena mākaʻikaʻi o ke aupuni he 177,018 mau haole i hōʻea i ke kahua mokulele ʻo Yangon i ka makahiki 2008, kokoke i 25 pākēneka mai ka 231,587 mau haole i hele mai i 2007.
“Ua hōʻole ka hiki ʻana mai o nā mākaʻikaʻi ma muli o Cyclone Nargis. Manaʻo ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi he kūlana maikaʻi loa ko mākou a ʻaʻole aʻa e kipa aku no ka hoʻomaha ʻana, "wahi a Khin, kahi luna o kahi hui huakaʻi ʻo Yangon.
ʻAʻole maopopo ka nui o ka poʻe i hele i kahi hoʻomoana elephant Pho Kyar, i hoʻokumu ʻia i 20 mau makahiki i hala aku nei, no ka mea ʻaʻole mālama ka waihona.
ʻOi aku ma mua o ka hapalua o nā ʻelepani ma kahi hoʻomoana e hana nei i nā holoholona i hoʻohana mau ʻia e ka Myanma Timber Enterprise i ka ʻoihana lāʻau lāʻau, a hoʻolilo i ka wā maloʻo e huki i nā kumulāʻau i ʻoki ʻia i loko o ka ululāʻau.
E hele mai i ka wā ua - a inā ua ʻelemakule ka ʻelepani no ka hana ʻana - e hoʻi nā pachyderms i ka mālama ʻana e leʻaleʻa i nā poʻe mākaʻikaʻi e hele mai.
"ʻO kahi hoʻomoana elephant ʻo Pho Kyar ka mea maikaʻi loa ma ka ʻāina," i ʻōlelo ʻia e kahi kauka mai ka ʻoihana ulu lāʻau i makemake ʻole e kapa ʻia. "Mālama mau mākou i nā ʻelepani."
ʻO Myanmar ka nui loa o ka ʻelepani ma Asia Hikina Hema, me ka 4,000 a 5,000 mau holoholona, wahi a kahi hōʻike hou e ka hui holoholona hihiu ʻo TRAFFIC i hōʻike aku ua hoʻoweliweli ʻia ka holoholona e ka poaching.
Ua ʻōlelo pū kekahi poʻe ʻona kaiapuni ma ka ʻāina i ka hoʻonui ʻana o ka junta o Myanmar i ke kālai ʻana i nā ululāʻau keak, hopu ʻia nā elepani hihiu a hoʻomaʻamaʻa ʻia no nā hana ʻoki ʻoki e hoʻopau i ko lākou mau wahi noho ponoʻī.
Manaʻo nā luna hoʻomoana ma Pho Kyar e hiki iā lākou ke kōkua i ka hoʻonaʻauao ʻana i nā malihini i ka mālama ʻana i nā ʻelepani Myanmar, inā e huli mai ka poʻe hoʻomaha.
