In 2020, Myanmar began to permit private zoos to apply for captive-breeding licenses for 90 species – including endangered tigers, elephants, and pangolins – creating regulatory loopholes that criminal networks exploit. Intelligence reports suggest Myanmar may be hosting tiger farms that supply Organised Crime syndicates in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, particularly with tiger cubs, and functioning as a laundering hub where Thai-bred cubs are exported to Myanmar and then re-imported to Thailand to obscure their origins. This situation represents a significant threat to wildlife conservation as the socio-political turmoil has weakened environmental protections while creating new trafficking opportunities that service growing pet markets in southeast Asia.