With Myanmar now opening up, its breathtaking diversity of nature may finally be experienced by people from around the world. This was certainly the case for the BBC's stunning new three-part series called Wild Burma, which looks at the flora, fauna, animals, insects, and endangered species of the country. It also includes fascinating interviews with monks at remote monasteries and villagers, who are caught in the greed from Chinese buyers of various animal parts. Before, most studies of the country relied on centuries-old British surveys, with the two notable exceptions being Jamie James' Snake Charmer about the tragic death of the herpetologist Dr. Joe Slowinski in Kachin State by a many-banded krait; and Alan Rabinowitz'sLife in the Valley of Death and Beyond the Last Village. However, much of Rabinowitz's work has since been discredited as his personal quest for fame seemed to come into the writings. Add to this growing collection the stunning new article that appears in this month's National Geographic, "On Myanmar's Mystery Peak, Drama and a Challenge Like No Other." In its own words, it tells the story of "a grueling trek through a jungle, followed by a treacherous climb: How one team took on one of mountaineering's biggest tests." It tells of searching for Southeast Asia's highest peak, which is the towering Hkakabo Razi in northern Myanmar, and the efforts to scale this. We certainly hope that the greater opening of Myanmar leads to greater exploration and appreciation of its vast nature reserves!
Jonah Fisher posted a story on the BBC about dolphins that help Burmese fishermen. It is also similar to an excerpt that was written for the upcoming Shwe Lan Ga Lay meditator's guidebook:
"Keep a sharp eye out towards the Ayeyarwaddy River, where dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) are known to swim. While most dolphins are salt water species, the ones here live in fresh water, and have actually been referenced by Chinese travelers as far back as in the first century (known then as “river pigs”). From time to time they can be spotted outside of Mingun (and as far away from here as the towns of Khetthin and Sintgu) just after the monsoon season when the water levels go down and baby dolphins are seen with their mother. This may also be one of the few places in the world where the sea-faring mammals interact and even work together with local human inhabitants. When the fishers head out in their wooden canoes, they make a small tap with their wooden mallets, whereupon the dolphins go out in pairs to encircle a school of fish. After signaling with their tails which way the fish are swimming, nets are cast down to get the fish. The technique is handed down in fisher communities for generations, and apparently within the dolphin community as well. The fishers have also freed ensnared dolphins from nets and protected them from hunters."
