China’s wild elephants head to safety after long trek

By MiNDFOOD

Fourteen wild elephants are heading south towards their protected habitat in southwest China's Yunnan province following a 1,300-km (807-mile) trek that captured the public's imagination, provincial officials said late on Monday.

Wildlife protection officials told a press briefing the elephants safely crossed a bridge over the Yuan River, returning south towards a nature reserve administered by the city of Puer.

An emergency committee set up to handle the wild elephants, used electric fences and bait and laid artificial roads to ensure the elephants took the correct route.

Yang Yingyong, a member of the committee, told reporters the migration route was “scientifically planned”.

The committee will “strive to allow the elephants to return to their habitat as soon as possible and thrive,” he said.

An aerial view shows a herd of wild Asian elephants crossing the Yuanjiang River in Yuanjiang county of Yuxi, Yunnan province, China August 8, 2021. The herd of 14 wild Asian elephants is on its way back to its traditional habitat, according to provincial officials. Picture taken with a drone August 8, 2021. China Daily via REUTERS

Yunnan deployed more than 25,000 police and staff and 1,500 emergency vehicles to track and feed the elephants and guarantee public safety, said Wan Yong, head of the provincial forestry commission.

More than 150,000 people were evacuated along the migration route and more than 5 million yuan ($771,000) in insurance funds disbursed to cover property damage, he said.

A herd then consisting of 16 elephants left their home in Xishuangbanna 300 km further south in March last year and eventually settled in a protected habitat in Puer.

In April this year, 15 of the elephants left Puer and meandered more than 1,300 km through the cities of Yuxi and Honghe before reaching the outskirts of the provincial capital of Kunming in June.

Wild Asian elephants lie on the ground and rest in Jinning district of Kunming, Yunnan province, China June 7, 2021. A herd of 15 wild elephants has trekked hundreds of kilometres after leaving their forest habitat in Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, according to local media. Picture taken June 7, 2021 with a drone. China Daily via REUTERS

State protection efforts have enabled the wild elephant population of Xishuangbanna to double since 1978. Wan said a ban on hunting activities had also made elephants more willing to enter human communities.

Experts say natural habitats have shrunk and become fragmented due to rapid urbanisation, new transportation infrastructure and the extension of commercial farming.

Shen Qingzhong, an expert with the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve Management Bureau, said it is likely the elephants will head north again in the future.

“The migration and spread of the Asian elephant population is inevitable,” he told the briefing.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Print Recipe

BECOME A MiNDFOOD SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Let us keep you up to date with our weekly MiNDFOOD e-newsletters which include the weekly menu plan, health and news updates or tempt your taste buds with the MiNDFOOD Daily Recipe. 

Member Login