Burma's state media are hailing the capture of a rare, white elephant as a sign the country will enjoy peace, stability and prosperity under a new, elected government, as the media say it does under present military rule.
The official New Light of Myanmar newspaper said Saturday that the elephant, captured Thursday in western Rakhine state, is a source of national pride. The paper said the pachyderm is estimated to be 18 years old and is the fifth white elephant captured since 2001.
Burma has been under harsh military rule since 1962 and elections scheduled for November have been widely criticized by the international community as a sham to keep the military in power.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.