The "broken nose family" moved to the north with 14 Asian elephants and continues to move around in a small area in Shijie Township, Yuxi City

Expert: The elephants go home "about in winter"

　　Recently, reports on the northward migration of the Asian elephant "broken nose family" in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, have aroused widespread concern.

According to a report from the Provincial Headquarters for the Safety and Precaution of Asian Elephant Groups Migrating to the North in Yunnan, as of June 13, an elephant group consisting of 14 Asian elephants continued to move around in a small area in Shijie Township, Yimen County, Yuxi City. It is located in the northeast direction of the elephant group, with a straight line distance of 19.1 kilometers from the elephant group.

The 15 elephants are all within the monitoring range, the overall stability is stable and the human elephants are safe.

Where does the elephant want to go?

When will they go home?

On June 14, a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily interviewed Shen Qingzhong (Senior Engineer of the Management and Protection Bureau of Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, Yunnan) and Chen Mingyong (Biology and Environment, Yunnan University College professors), they responded to hot topics related to Asian elephants.

Shen Qingzhong: Normalization of the Northward Movement of Species

　　"From a global perspective, it is not just elephants, but the northward migration of species has begun to become normal"...Shen Qingzhong told the Beijing Youth Daily that human-elephant conflicts are widespread around the world, but the measures taken by countries are different.

"Since the 1990s, I have been doing research on Asian elephants. Elephants eat crops grown by villagers and even break into villagers’ homes during their foraging...Similar conflicts occur every day. In 1988, Wildlife Conservation After the law is promulgated and implemented, local finances will compensate for the losses caused by wild animals. Starting from the second year, the compensation for wild animal accidents has risen sharply."

　　Regarding the question of whether the elephant will return to its original habitat, Shen Qingzhong believes that if the living environment in other places is not as good as the original, the elephant will eventually return to the original place.

As for when to return, it is still unclear.

　　Some netizens pointed out that the recent food supply has been sufficient, and Asian elephants seem to have gained weight.

In this regard, Shen Qingzhong said that it is not certain because of the inability to carry out weighing comparisons.

To be sure, their food conditions are very good. If they are not full of food, the elephants will definitely go to the stockade.

　　Shen Qingzhong also said that elephants are herbivorous animals and feeding them with high-energy food is not good for them.

However, it is a special treatment in a special period. The feeding of food is to temporarily meet the food needs of the elephants, reduce conflicts with villagers, and prevent them from going to the village for food, rather than changing their food structure.

　　Will stray elephants return to the herd?

Shen Qingzhong said, "According to our observations in Xishuangbanna for many years, the little male elephants in the elephant herd began to fight each other when they were five or six years old. I run away and play for a while and then come back. I will leave for a few days when I grow up. I will slowly leave for a few months and then come back. But this is not really outlier. When I am fully sexually mature, that is, I have the ability to reproduce The male elephant will not leave the group completely until he is 12 years old."

Chen Mingyong: It is recommended to set up a sanctuary for elephants

　　"After crossing the mountain in Mojiang, the natural barrier of the elephant habitat was broken. As the latitude of the elephant herd continues to go north, the altitude gradually increases (currently more than 2,000 meters), the elephant's adaptability and behavior We are also continuing to study changes in abilities." Chen Mingyong said that the extreme temperature that elephants and other northward animals can adapt to the extreme temperature cannot be quantified at this time.

　　Chen Mingyong said that there are many types of animal and plant protection areas, such as the national biological protection area managed by the forestry and grass department. "But we hope to establish a special protection area for elephants, mainly to restore and transform the elephant's habitat. At present. All of the protected areas pay attention to biodiversity. In fact, food and water sources can be specially set up for elephants. If the woodland is too dense or there is too little woodland, humans can modify it so that the modified environment can meet the survival needs of Asian elephants as much as possible. "Chen Mingyong said that the current national nature reserve is "egg-shaped", the innermost is the core area, and then the buffer zone is outside, and the outermost is the experimental area.

　　Reconstruction can be carried out in the outermost test area, but if people do it, the effect may be counterproductive. It will draw out the innermost elephant and increase the risk of human-elephant conflict.

"Now we are considering making changes to the mechanism and implementing the concept of national parks. If any area is frequently used by Asian elephants, some transformations suitable for the survival of Asian elephants will be made in this area, rather than the entire protected area."

　　Regarding the question of how elephants return to their habitat, Chen Mingyong said that at present, we can only deal with it in a relatively modest way and will not guide them back immediately.

"About winter, as the temperature drops and the food decreases, the elephants (should) return to their habitats," he said.

RAM

"Elephant" all the way to the north

　　In March 2020, a total of 16 wild elephants entered Pu'er City from Xishuangbanna Prefecture and went northward.

In December, the elephant group gave birth to 17 elephant babies in Pu'er.

　　On April 16, 2021, 17 wild elephants entered Yuxi Yuanjiang County.

On April 24, two elephants returned to Pu'er Mojiang County, and the herd became 15 elephants.

On May 16, 15 Asian elephants arrived in Shiping County, Honghe.

On May 25, all 15 Asian elephants were collectively in Eshan County, Yuxi City.

On May 30, 15 Asian elephant herds migrated to the vicinity of Jianshan Postpod in Dawan Village, Luohe Township, Hongta District, Yuxi City.

At 17:30 on May 31, the elephant group moved to the junction of Luohe Township and Daying Street, Hongta District, Yuxi.

At 21:55 on June 2, the elephant group entered Shuanghe Township, Jinning District, Kunming City.

At about 23:00 on June 5, the elephant group entered the area of ​​Yimapo Village, Pubei Township, Yimen County, Yuxi City.

On June 6, a male elephant left the elephant herd and began to move alone.

At 16:50 on June 7, the elephant group continued to rest in a small area in Xiyang Township, Jinning District, Kunming City, and the migration was suspended.

On the afternoon of June 14th, the Asian elephant herd moved northward from Yunnan to move around Nanshan Village, Yimen County, Yuxi City.

The picture shows a stray elephant in the vicinity of Jinning Xiyang Township.

　　Text/Reporter Dong Zhenjie, Intern Yin Hang Yang Wanyang

　　Coordinator/Picture provided by Zhang Bin/Interviewee