About Us

FRIENDS OF WILDLIFE was established in 2007 by a passionate group of people committed to wildlife conservation in partnership with local communities.  Our first field site was Chatthin Wildlife Sanctuary, where our founder, U Myint Aung, served as the sanctuary warden.  Chatthin is a haven for the endangered Eld’s Deer in the central dry zone of Myanmar, and U Myint Aung had a special interest in linking scientific research, protected area management, and community relations for the conservation of this majestic species.

In 2005, he left the Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division of the government in order to found Friends of Wildlife as a non-profit, non-governmental organization.  Originally working in conjunction with the U.K. charity Indo-Myanmar Conservation, Friends of Wildlife was officially recognized by Myanmar's Ministry of Home Affairs in 2012 (registration #1968) and is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Friends of Wildlife has experience implementing conservation projects across Myanmar and has contributed to the protection of many globally threatened and endangered species such as Asian elephant, gaur, star tortoise, and Eld's deer.  A cornerstone of this work has been collaboration with local communities through programs that support livelihood diversification, community forest establishment, increased land tenure security, and improved relations between communities and local government.

​We aim to achieve our mission through approaches that include livelihood diversification, environmental education, community participation, research and monitoring of species for conservation, and public outreach

ASAP Species That We Work On

What We Do

  • Collaborate broadly and build capacity for biodiversity conservation.
  • Support livelihoods that can co-exist with wildlife into the future.
  • Focus on species that are endemic to, and can only be protected in Myanmar.
  • Educate the public on issues relating to wildlife and their habitat.
  • Use strong science to support management of ecosystems.
  • Be a well-respected organization in Myanmar wildlife conservation.

Where We Work

  • Indawgyi Wildlife Sanctuary, Indawgyi town, Moehniyin District, Kachin State
  • Zalontaung National Park,Bamauk township, Katha District, Sagaing Division
  • Chatthin Wildlife Sanctuary, Chatthin Village, Kanbalu District, Sagaing Division
  • Maharmyaing Wildlife Sanctuary,Kalaywa township, Kalay District, Sagaing Division
  • Rakhine Yoma Elephant Range Sanctuary Chin Su village, GWA township, Rakhine State
  • Ngayoke-kaung-taung town, Ngaputaw township, Pathein District

Contact Details

Room 15, Building 296, 1 Yan Aung St, Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

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