Wild life in Arakan State has become scarce given the indiscriminate killing by hunters and locals, said an environmental worker and other sources.

"We are unable to see deer, barking deer, sambur, tiger, or wild boars in the jungle these days because the animals have become rare in our state after many were killed by local people to sell and to eat," the environmental worker said.

In several mountain restaurants located at the top of the Arakan Roma along the Rangoon - Taungup highway, meat of wild animals is available on the menu at any time and restaurants are selling the meat freely without any restriction.

"We can all see the signboards and disk menus with the names of several kinds of meat of wild animals in front of the restaurant entrances. The meat of deer, barking deer, and sambur are available at all times in the restaurants," the source said.

Hundreds of wild animals have been killed by hunters and locals for the restaurants over the last 50 years, but the authorities have not yet prohibited the killing of wild animals for food in the area.

"We were able to see wild animals anywhere in Arakan Roma in the past, but now we cannot see the animals even if we go deep into the jungles. I am a mountain cultivator so I know the animals will become extinct in our state in the future," a farmer from Taungup said.

Arakan Roma is a famous mountain range in Burma because many kinds of animals inhabit the area, but the wild animals are becoming increasingly scarce because of hunting. In addition to restaurants, dried meat of wild animals is available everywhere in Arakan State, such as at jetties, bus stations, and markets.

"Many poor people in rural areas in Arakan are involved in the business of selling the meat of wild animals just to survive. If this rate of killing of wild animals continues, the deer, barking deer, sambur, and wild boar will disappear from our state in the near future," the environmental worker concluded