Alaungdaw-Kathapa National Park

Wildlife Alliance works in cooperation with Myanmar's only non-governmental conservation organization FREDA (Forest Resource and Environmental Development and Conservation Association) to improve protection of Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park.

AK Park, named after a disciple of Buddha whose shrine in the Park is visited by tens of thousands of pilgrims annually, is Myanmar's largest national park and is home to large populations of wild elephants and other rare wildlife species. The Park has long been overwhelmed by poachers who prey on its abundant natural resources to profit from the illegal wildlife trade market in Asia. Wildlife Alliance's recent site assessments reveal that though threats from encroachment, logging and poaching exist, these problems are being successfully contained by park staff. Wildlife monitoring by Park Rangers has shown AK Park to have a rich abundance of wildlife. Camera traps, visual sightings and animal tracks have revealed the existence of leopard, sun bear, banteng, gaur, wild dog and barking deer populations in the park. Villagers recently reported seeing a tiger in the park, which, if confirmed, would be the first sighting in over two decades when it was assumed that they had been hunted out to supply the illegal wildlife trade.