White elephant caught in Burma 'is omen of political change'

A rare white elephant, historically considered an omen of political change, has been captured in the west of military-ruled Burma.

The female elephant was captured by officials on Saturday in the coastal town of Maungtaw in Rakhine state, according to news reports in Burma, also known as Myanmar.

She is aged about 38 years old and seven feet four inches tall, the English-language New Light of Myanmar said, although it did not mention where she would be kept.



White elephants are often depicted as snow white, but are in fact grey or reddish-brown in colour, turning light pink when wet. They have fair eyelashes and toenails.

Kings and leaders in Burma, a predominantly Buddhist country, have traditionally treasured white elephants, whose rare appearances in the country are believed to herald political change and good fortune.

The announcements of the discoveries of white elephants in 2001 and 2002 in Burma was seen by opposition leaders as bolstering support for their parties. The South-East Asian country, which has been ruled by the military since 1962, is due to hold its first elections for two decades later this year, although a date has not yet been announced.