[Explanation] August 12 is World Elephant Day.
A year ago, more than 10 Asian elephants returned to their suitable habitat after a journey of more than 110 days and 1,300 kilometers.
Thanks to the protection of tens of thousands of people, all the more than 10 Asian elephants are safe and sound, and no one has been harmed.
[Explanation] Recently, the reporter walked into the tropical rain forest in southern Yunnan where Asian elephants live to explore the mystery of the harmony between humans and elephants.
[Explanation] In China, the Asian elephant is a national first-class protected animal.
In the past 30 years, the number of wild Asian elephants in China has doubled, and now there are about 360 animals.
This is due to the effective mitigation of human-elephant conflicts while protecting.
[Concurrent] Guo Xianming, director of the Institute of Science of Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, Yunnan
There should be several reasons for this change.
The first is that we are very tolerant of human beings, that is, after the elephant comes out, we will not harm it.
The second aspect is its range of activities. Its range of activities is relatively large, and it eats more things, which may play a very good role in its growth.
Then, as the elephant group, especially the number of female elephants in this group gradually increases, after the female elephants gradually become adults, and then these elephants enter the reproductive period, they can conceive very smoothly and give birth very smoothly, then this That is to say, the population of our Asian elephants should be steadily expanding.
[Explanation] The reporter learned that in terms of alleviating human-elephant conflicts, many places in Yunnan have developed Asian elephant monitoring and early warning systems, monitoring the activities of Asian elephants through manual, infrared cameras, drones, etc., and using APP, social software, broadcast, etc. Forms of early warning to the public in a timely manner; anti-elephant lights, shelters and other facilities effectively reduce the contact between people and Asian elephants, and effectively reduce the casualties in human-elephant conflicts.
[Concurrent] Asian elephant monitor Wu Junhui
Elephants are originally "engineers" of the rainforest. They will go into the rainforest to push down bad trees, rotten and decaying trees, and let the sun shine into the forest, so that the vegetation underneath can develop more healthily.
Therefore, when an elephant enters the forest, it will make the species in the forest more diverse.
[Explanation] Although casualties have been greatly reduced, Asian elephants still cause damage to crops.
It is understood that Asian elephants especially prefer crops such as corn, rice, and sugarcane.
In recent years, the villagers have converted the land used to grow corn to rubber. Although elephants no longer eat, they still destroy crops when they move in the rubber forest.
[Concurrent] Guo Xianming, director of the Institute of Science of Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, Yunnan
Asian elephants, we say its eating habits are gradually changing.
The food it can eat. When we surveyed in the past, we knew the food of Asian elephants. We should have been in the 1980s. We surveyed only more than 100 kinds of food for Asian elephants. It has been two years now. The food of Asian elephants has reached more than 400 kinds.
[Explanation] For this reason, many places in Yunnan have carried out compensation for wildlife accidents.
Take Xishuangbanna Prefecture as an example. In 2010, a pilot program of Asian elephant insurance was launched, and in 2011, the public liability insurance for wild Asian elephants was first established in China.
The standard of claim settlement has been increased year by year, such as adjusting from 900 yuan (RMB, the same below)/mu to 1538 yuan/mu for rice, and from 1100 yuan/mu to 1827 yuan/mu for sugarcane.
[Explanation] At the same time, the construction of "Elephant Canteen" (the source of Asian elephant food) has also been carried out in various forms to meet some of the food needs of Asian elephants and reduce the chance of them entering the village.
[Explanation] In infrastructure construction, China also fully considers the factors of Asian elephants.
The Yexianggu Station of the China-Laos Railway avoided the main activity area of Asian elephants.
Many planned and under-construction highways in Pu'er and Xishuangbanna provide passages for Asian elephants by means of culverts and bridges to ensure smooth migration routes.
[Explanation] In order to better protect Asian elephants, solve the problem of "human-elephant conflict" to the greatest extent, and strengthen the protection of important habitats and concentrated distribution areas of Asian elephants, the creation of Asian Elephant National Park is accelerating.
[Concurrent] Li Zhongyuan, director of the Wildlife Protection Station of Xishuangbanna Forestry and Grass Bureau
I believe that in the construction of the (Asian Elephant) National Park, many measures and methods may be incorporated and some planning should be carried out.
After the scope is determined, the protection of our Asian elephants and some conflicts between people and Asian elephants will be greatly improved.
It is possible that the peaceful coexistence of humans and Asian elephants will be achieved.
Reporter Du Xiaoxiao Han Shuai reports from South Yunnan
Responsible editor: [Luo Pan]