【苍南县】Wandering elephants – odyssey with China’s meticulous protection

戴菲菲 2021-07-29 18:12:43

Earlier this year, a herd of wandering Asian elephants spotted in Yunnan Province became an overnight internet sensation in China, which also attracted the attention from all over the world. Millions of netizens have expressed their fondness while watching live broadcast and daily updates from state media. Recently, after 500 kilometers trip away from their habitat, these gentle giants appear to be heading home and their odyssey approaches its end. During the whole odyssey, the meticulous protection that China has provided to the elephants impressed the world and won applause for its effort in ecological conservation.

Why this herd of wandering elephants brings China plenty of plaudits from foreign media? The only reason is that local authorities in the places that wandering elephants visited have all carried out comprehensive response plans to ensure the safety of both humans and the elephants, contingency plans have been launched with high-tech equipment. Dozens of drones were deployed to continuously monitor the elephants' activities and emergency trucks were sent out to block surrounding roads and lay food bait to guide the elephants away from urban areas. The places where rugged terrain and foggy weather made it difficult for drones to monitor and track the elephants, Chinese authority organized experts to conduct onsite investigation and formulate plans on protecting the elephant’s migration. Wherever the elephants go, they’re escorted by police. Although the damage to crops is inevitable while elephants lumbering across the village, local residents were very supportive and quickly organized to evacuate with national compensation when necessary. As more Chinese media have been checking in, the heard has become a social media hit. Chinese netizens sent their cares towards elephants by playing the role of online supervisors on authorities’ protection work. So far, all of the elephants are reported to be healthy and no one has been injured.

The odyssey of wandering elephants has captivated the nation for months and the hype shows no sign of waning. Chinese authority had investigated the motivation why the elephants embark on their trek at very first step of rescue plans. While the final answer remains unclear, the authority admits the rapid development of agriculture has led the degrading of elephant habitats, forcing the herds to forage for food in agricultural areas. Another possible reason is the rise in the elephant population, Asian elephants are under A-level state protection in China and thanks to enhanced protection efforts, the wild-elephant population has grown to about 300 from 193 in the 1980s. The larger population requires them to expand territory and seek for more food supply. Whatever the reason is, Chinese authority has set about restoring and constructing larger nature reserve for elephants and other wildlife.

The protection that Chinese government has provided, the cooperation of local residents, as well as Chinese netizens’ attitude towards the wandering elephants, all reflects the society's awareness of wildlife protection, conveys China's strong determination to succeed in ecological conservation campaign. An image of a real and caring China will be seen by the world in the short future.