FRIENDS of Wildlife (FOW) conducted a workshop on the preservation of the Myanmar golden deer and Chatthin wildlife sanctuary in cooperation with Norway Environmental Agency (NEP) at Shwe Si Myaing hall, Kanbalu District cooperative office, Sagaing Region, on 9 July.
        “The workshop was conducted with the aim of identifying the current difficulties with regard to drawing up an administration project on the preservation of the Myanmar golden deer and Chatthin wildlife sanctuary, to get effective information on drawing up a conservation project, which can effectively provide security to the Myanmar golden deer and Chatthin wildlife sanctuary, and to cooperate with local residents after enhancing their knowledge on the conservation of the Myanmar golden deer and Chatthin wildlife sanctuary,” said U Min Swe, administrator of the wildlife sanctuary.
        Chatthin wildlife sanctuary was established as a forest protection area on 19 June 1941, covering an area of 66,560 acres. However, 2295.58 acres of farming, village and religious land, which belonged to three villages, were excluded from the sanctuary.
        Now, 4264.42 acres remain and are located in Kanbalu Township in Kanbalu District and Kawlin Township in Katha District.
        There were over 3,000 golden deer in Chatthin wildlife sanctuary in 2000. Now, the golden deer are facing extinction and only 889 deer live in the sanctuary.
        The golden deer is a rare species of deer found in Myanmar, mostly in the Shwesettaw and Chatthin wildlife sanctuaries. The sanctuaries have been conserved for over 77 years, he added.
        The workshop was attended by district management committee chairman U Kyaw Zarni Lwin and committee members, township management committee chairman U Zaw Naing Win and departmental staff, officials from Kyunhla Township departments and administrators and local residents from over 30 villages near the Chatthin wildlife sanctuary.