A white elephant was captured in Ayeyarwaddy region after siting over the past few weeks, local media reported.
There are currently three white elephants in captivity in Yangon and five in Naypyitaw. This white elephant will probably enjoy the same treatment as the rest. Most white elephants in Myanmar have captured in captured in Ayeyarwaddy region, as it is known for its elephant population.
White elephants are not necessarily albino, but most have light-colored skin. They are considered lucky symbols in Southeast Asia.
In the 1500s, Burma and Siam went to war over ownership of four white elephants, but that scenario is unlikely to be repeated. The King of Thailand previously owned ten white elephants, but the last one died in 2006.
White elephants are viewed in the West as symbols of expensive impractical possession that the owner cannot dispose of, while they are viewed in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos as auspicious symbols of good governance.
