【泰顺县】A Vivid Example of Achieving Harmonious Ecology: Human-elephant Symbiosis

徐舒虹 2021-07-29 17:43:11

Since June, the Asian elephant herd that moved northward from Yunnan has become a major focus of international public opinion. The series of measures taken by the local government to ensure the safety of human and elephants have been widely praised by the international media. This event fully demonstrates that China is actively fulfilling its responsibility to protect wild animals, and it also conveys to the international community the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

During the migration of Asian elephants, Chinese government departments have made great efforts to guide the safe migration of elephants and to protect the personal and property safety of residents along the way.

For the elephant herd, the working group monitored the movement route of the elephants in real time, convened relevant experts to make predictions, prepared tons of corn and pineapple and other food for the elephants, dispatched fire trucks to supply water, and also transferred a stray elephant to its original habitat.

For residents, the working group issued early warning information to disperse the crowd on the migration route of the elephant herd in advance. The government also purchased wildlife public liability protection insurance for the masses to compensate for the economic losses caused by the Asian elephant herd.

The domestic media reported the event continuously and many reporters used drones and other equipment to record the movements of the elephants and uploaded them to the Internet, attracting the attention of many domestic and foreign netizens. People are moved by the elephants' loving behavior, and more and more people are beginning to pay attention to the theme of harmonious ecology.

There is no flashy rhetoric or too much boasting. China only records objective facts, spares no effort to ensure the safety of human and elephants, and conveys to the world the value orientation of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. China's actions during the northward migration of Asian elephants have been widely recognized by foreign media.

In the New York Times, an expert stated: “The most positive impact of this story is that it allows people to have a better understanding of the possibility of human-elephant conflict, which is likely to increase. Only by preparing people for that reality would conservation efforts really succeed." The ANSA News Agency of Italy conducted a detailed follow-up report on the Asian elephant migration, which not only showed the activity trajectory of the elephant herd, but also affirmed the efforts made by the Chinese government in the migration of the elephant herd.

While China is being praised, some foreign media have expressed their doubts. For example, they claim that the habitat of Asian elephants has been destroyed by human beings and their migration is forced. Most of these doubts are preconceived speculations and have no basis at all. There are different opinions on the reasons for the migration of Asian elephants. We don't know whether it is the change of climate and environment or the natural diffusion of the population. But a fact that cannot be ignored is that with the trend of declining numbers of wild elephants in the world, the number of Asian elephants in China has increased from 150 to nearly 300 in the past 30 years. Any attempt to tamper with the facts will be futile, and China's efforts to protect nature will eventually be rewarded by nature.

In the future, in order to carry out the protection of Asian elephants more scientifically and efficiently, China will speed up the establishment of Asian elephant national parks. China will actively assume the responsibilities of a major country, continue to explore long-term mechanisms for natural resources and ecological protection, seek an effective balance between economic development and natural environmental protection, and strive to achieve harmonious coexistence between man and nature.