Yangon  - The National Geographic Channel is due in Myanmar this month to shoot a documentary on the country's hard-working elephants, sources close to the project said Thursday.

"They will come here this month to document the state of Myanmar's domesticated elephants - how to catch wild elephants, how to tame and train them," said an official from the politically well-connected Htoo Trading Company, which will facilitate the production.

The National Geographic production team, led by two French directors from Compass Film, plan to visit Padaung town, in Bago, Myanmar's main teak growing and logging area, where the work is done with the assistance of trained elephants, said the company official who asked to remain anonymous.

Myanmar has more than 4,000 wild elephants living in its forests, according to local experts.

Domesticated elephants were used as war chariots in Myanmar's ancient kingdoms but became important beasts of burden for the forestry industry after the South-East Asian country became a British colony in 1886. (dpa)