Recently, 15 wild Asian elephants in Yunnan have moved northward, attracting attention.
They set off from the deep mountains and valleys of Pu'er, and caused more than 400 accidents in Yuanjiang County of Yuxi City and Shiping County of Honghe Prefecture.
Local methods such as feeding guidance, drone monitoring, and evacuation of people along the route have been adopted to avoid human-elephant conflicts.
Why do these Asian elephants travel long distances northward?
Where is their destination?
In what way might these 15 Asian elephants that have migrated northward stop?
Why do wild Asian elephants rarely travel long distances north?
The 15 wild Asian elephants wandering north this time, Zhang Li, a professor of ecology at Beijing Normal University and a member of the Asian Elephant Expert Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Committee, believes that it is very likely to find a new habitat.
He pointed out that my country has been committed to wildlife protection in the past 30 years, and the wild Asian elephant population is gradually recovering.
However, current research data shows that the habitat suitable for wild Asian elephants has decreased by about 40% in the past 20 years.
In order to survive, wild Asian elephants have to wander into new areas, which may also be one of the reasons for the spread of populations.
This situation is not a special case. Zhang Li introduced that, especially in economically developed areas, the habitat of wild animals is actually in a fragmented state. This phenomenon is also called habitat fragmentation.
Wild animals in such areas will continue to migrate to find new habitats, and there will be contact between people and wild animals, and even conflicts.
Considering seasonal factors, He Changhuan, PhD in ecology at Beijing Normal University and editor of "Natural Science" magazine, believes that if the dry season in Xishuangbanna is just over and the rainy season has just begun, the fresh plants that some elephants like to eat may come relatively. Said that the number is not so sufficient, the Asian elephants have to spread to find food.
Where will the migration destination be?
This is difficult to predict.
However, there are some rules to follow in their preferences.
Existing research shows that Asian elephants prefer rain forests with valleys and regions with relatively rich grasses and palms.
In addition, because some Asian elephants have gradually adapted to the existence of human activities, farmland where sugarcane, corn and other crops are planted are also foraging places often visited by Asian elephants.
In terms of food habits, Asian elephants not only like to eat some sweet crops such as sugar cane, but also need to eat salt, because in its life, salt is essential.
Zhang Li said that understanding the basic behavior and activity habits of Asian elephants is conducive to the tracking and monitoring of experts.
In the process of exploring new habitats for the 15 Asian elephants this time, they may find a place suitable for staying and become a resident elephant group.
It is also possible that no more suitable habitat can be found, and the U-turn will return to the original habitat.
Zhang Li said that the elephant head is very important: "The elephant head can often use its memory to take the elephant herd to places hundreds of kilometers away to fetch water and forage. The elephant group will look for new places under the guidance of the head elephant."
However, the head elephant’s sense of direction is sometimes “failed”.
He Changhuan, PhD in ecology at Beijing Normal University and editor of "Natural Science" magazine, also mentioned that the leading elephant may get lost because of being younger, inexperienced, or due to some physical reasons, and don't know how to go.
At this time, if there is not much virgin forest around the road they are walking on, then they can't stay in one place, they can only go forward.
Zhang Jinshuo, a PhD from the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, deputy curator of the National Zoological Museum, and research librarian, said that normally, proliferation means that they will establish new populations, which is conducive to the recovery of the entire population.
Can humans guide their route?
Man-made influences on the wandering routes of wild Asian elephants, Zhang Li said, this is not impossible, for example, according to their food habits to attract this group of elephants, so that it can return to a suitable habitat.
However, fundamentally speaking, the spread from the original habitat may be due to the decrease of suitable habitats, and the need to find new habitats.
Therefore, Zhang Li pointed out that it is still necessary to start with the selection of the elephant herd's habitat and the impact of human activities on its habitat.
Experts remind: It
is dangerous to engage in production activities and travel in areas where Asian elephants are infested, and it is very easy to cause personal injury. It is necessary to pay close attention to the monitoring information of monitors and follow the unified command. Reasonably arrange labor and travel time to avoid confrontation with Asian elephants. Conflict; if you meet in the wild, you should avoid it as soon as possible.
Producer丨Guo Jing
Reporter丨Fu Xie Zhu Min Li Jianfei