August 12
World Elephant Day
23:48 that night
14 Asian elephants moving north
From Manlai Town, Yuanjiang County, Yuxi City
Entering the territory of Mojiang County, Pu’er City
Currently in the Guineng Village Committee, Lianzhu Town, Mojiang County, Pu’er City
Activities in nearby woodland
Elephant herd returns to suitable habitat
Are within the monitoring range
Overall stable
People like peace
Months since
Countless evenings or late nights
This one comes from
Announcement from the Provincial Headquarters for the Safety and Precaution of Asian Elephant Groups Moving North from Yunnan
Become many people
Accustomed to waiting
People look through the small screens of their phones
Watching the distance with great concern
This way
“Thousands of miles people are worried”
finally
The elephant herd returned to a suitable habitat
Time back to August 8
20 o’clock in the evening
Sun set
Windward
Twilight covers Yuanjiang
Will be dark
“Elephant Groups Returning South”, a blockbuster of people and animals
Climax
14 Asian elephants moving north
Take it easy
No hesitation
Walk slowly over the 151.62 meters long Yuanjiang Bridge
Elephant on the road
Long queues of large vehicles with elephant roads
Yuanjiang Bridge built in the 1960s
Is the first concrete highway bridge across Yuanjiang
Simple and robust bridge before the completion of the new Honghe Bridge
For a long time
Are the throats of the international corridor that runs through southern Yunnan
Sending off the green hills on both sides of the strait
Witness the billowing river
Countless people are concentrating and holding their breath
Return from the north bank of Yuanjiang to the south bank
Elephant herd moving nearly 500 kilometers north
Overcoming the biggest moat on the way back
Decisive progress has been made in relocation assistance
Compared with the countless video clips that have been turned around the world before
A scene at the moment of Yuanjiang Bridge
Magnificent and timeless
Experienced this elephant migration
Elephant walks north
People looking south
Yunnan’s protection of Asian elephants over the years
Finally handed over a copy
Qualified answer sheet for tireless exploration
How do the elephants cross the river during the flood season?
On August 8, 2021, a seemingly unobtrusive reminder was released——
According to the micro-message of the official of the traffic patrol detachment of Yunnan Expressway, at 20:00 on August 8, 2021, there will be wild elephant herd activities in the Ganzhuang-Yuanjiang section of Kunmo Expressway (G8511). To protect the safety of elephant herd and driving safety, a series of controls are adopted. measure. The expected control time is one and a half hours.
But this is like a rising signal flare in the heart of the insider.
Yuanjiang lies on the dividing line between the suitable habitat of Asian elephants and the general habitat. To the north of the Yuanjiang River, although Asian elephants can survive in some areas, in winter, rainfall decreases, temperatures drop, and food is scarce, which is not conducive to the long-term development of the population. The further north, the less the public has direct contact with elephants, and the more difficult it is to prevent human-elephant conflicts.
Therefore, letting the elephants return to the south of the Yuanjiang River has been regarded by experts as the key to helping the wild elephants return to their habitat.
The elephant group is facing huge difficulties in crossing the river naturally. Yang Yingyong, the executive deputy commander of the Asian elephant group safety precaution and emergency response headquarters in Yuxi City to move north, introduced——
When the elephant group moved north across the main stream of the Yuanjiang River, it was in a dry season. At around 7:30 am on May 11 this year, the water flow when the elephant group crossed the river was 73 cubic meters per second. After the rainy season arrives, Yuanjiang enters a rainy season. The average water flow in July and August reached 120 cubic meters per second, and the highest water flow reached 628 cubic meters per second. The rapid increase in water flow has created an insurmountable obstacle for the elephant herd with baby elephants to “turn to the south”.
To solve the problem
Command carefully planned
Fine deployment
Take precise measures
Fight day and night for the elephants to cross the river smoothly
Locate a suitable crossing point carefully. Before the elephant group entered the territory of Yuanjiang County, the front-line headquarters would survey and investigate the points across the river by the headquarters personnel, experts from the water conservancy department, road department, and forestry and grass department experts. In just a few days, the staff of the headquarters walked through the 76 kilometers of Yuanjiang River in Yuanjiang County. In order to avoid possible dangers and casualties caused by the elephants crossing the river from the waters, they finally chose to let the elephants go from the entrance of Yuanjiang of Kunmo Highway. Crossing the river on the old bridge of the old 213 National Road near the toll station.
In-depth survey and planning of relocation assistance routes. In order to help guide the elephant group to move to the point of crossing the river, the front-line headquarters has determined three routes: east, middle, and west. Yuanjiang County Party Committee and the county government invested a total of 2,844 vehicles and 6,673 man-times to strengthen the containment and control of lines and the guidance of feeding. In this process, the elephant group has deviated from the established route countless times, but after the joint efforts of various departments and party members and cadres at all levels, after 13 days and 12 nights, the elephant group successfully reached Yuanjiang Bridge as expected.
The hard work of day and night has solidified the confidence to take measures. From being caught off guard when the elephants moved northward into Eshan County, to the “precision” and “precision” of planning to help the elephants cross the Yuanjiang River, it has witnessed the fact that the staff of the provincial and on-site headquarters of the Asian elephants moving northward have been working with each other for several months. Together with the elephant group, they continue to accumulate a wealth of work experience.
March 2020
Asian elephants moving north to leave their original habitat
“Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve”
Enter Pu’er in July 2020
April 16, 2021
From Mojiang County of Pu’er City to Yuanjiang County of Yuxi City
Leave its traditional habitat
Since April 16
Asian elephants moved north for more than 110 days
Traveling in a roundabout way for more than 1,300 kilometers
Passing by Yuxi, Honghe, Kunming
3 states (cities) and 8 counties (cities, districts)
Wan Yong, the commander of the provincial headquarters for the safety and precautions of the Asian elephants moving north, and the director of the Provincial Forestry and Grass Bureau, said with certainty that the move of the Asian elephants to the north is a serious challenge for the party committees, governments, and relevant departments at all levels in Yunnan. Some useful experiences and practices have also been explored from the test. In the process of relocation assistance, a safety precaution and emergency response system with national guidance, provincial overall planning, and territorial responsibility has been formed. “Management and Control Plan”, forming a working mechanism of “upper and lower coordination, front and back linkage, professional and orderly”.
The relocation assistance has been strongly supported by domestic and foreign wildlife experts. 13 experts from the Asian Elephant Research Center of the National Forestry and Grass Administration, the Kunming Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan University, Beijing Forestry University and other units formed an expert group for the treatment of the northern elephant herd and provided the whole process. Scientific guidance and technical support. A professional “elephant guard team” composed of more than 30 related professional and technical personnel, guides the deployment work throughout the entire process, scientifically, orderly, standardized and efficient to help Asian elephants move north and south.
The eight-character policy of “staring, managing people, assisting in relocation, and making claims” has been formulated. Through the combination of ground personnel tracking and UAV monitoring, the object group implements 24-hour three-dimensional monitoring, and real-time grasp and study of the active route of the elephant group. For areas where Asian elephants may pass, traffic control should be carried out in advance to evacuate people and avoid contact with elephants. Adopting methods such as blocking important intersections, sounding alarms, scientifically placing food, etc., successfully prevented the elephant herd from entering the crowded area and helped the elephant herd to return and migrate. Settle claims in a timely manner, start the compensation and compensation work of public liability insurance for wild animals, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the people.
Yunnan Asian Elephant Protection
in history
The northernmost Asian elephant was once distributed in the area north of the Yellow River in China
Under the influence of climate change and human activities, the northern boundary moves to the south
Sheltered by the religion and culture of the area where the Dai people live in Yunnan
The Asian elephant is able to continue here
Become the main habitat of Asian elephants in China
Recent years
The development of human society has compressed the living space of large herbivores
Leading to the continuous decrease in the total amount of global Asian elephants
But in Yunnan
Population of wild Asian elephants in Yunnan
From about 150 heads 30 years ago
Grow to about 300 heads at present
And showing an increasing trend
The elephant’s northward move has become the focus of global media
The increase in the number of Asian elephants in Yunnan
Special report by The New York Times
Canadian Global News Channel reported-
“The Asian Elephant Living in Yunnan Province is Protected by Law”
Conservation of Yunnan Asian Elephants
Since 1958
More than a dozen scientists including Wu Zhengyi and Shou Zhenhuang from the Kunming Institute of Botany and the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, proposed to delimit 24 forest logging bans in the province. It is proposed to obtain approval from Yunnan Province, and 24 nature reserves have been established across the province, including the Xishuangbanna Provincial Reserve.
1986
The Xishuangbanna Provincial Reserve was promoted to a national nature reserve, and the area of the reserve was expanded to 241,800 hectares. The Asian elephant in Yunnan has a relatively stable habitat.
1990s
Asian elephants are only distributed in 2 cities, 3 counties, and 14 towns in Yunnan.
By the end of 2020
The scope of long-term activities has been expanded to 3 prefectures, 12 counties and cities, and 55 towns.
In order to better meet the needs of Asian elephants to reproduce, Yunnan Province continues to make space for elephants, and strengthens restoration while protecting the original habitat.
According to information provided by the Yunnan Forestry and Grassland Bureau, Asian elephants have now established 11 nature reserves in the main distribution areas of Yunnan, with a total area of 509,800 hectares, and 10 villages have been relocated from the reserves. In 2001, a pilot project of habitat restoration and reconstruction was implemented. In 2019, the “Implementation Plan for the Protection and Restoration of the Asian Elephant Habitat Habitat” was compiled. As of 2020, more than 600 hectares of repaired area will be completed.
In areas where Asian elephants are frequently active, a set of cross-border joint protection is playing a role-
In 2006, the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve held the first Asian elephant cross-border protection meeting with the Nanmuha National Nature Reserve in Nanta Province, Laos on the protection of cross-border Asian elephants. After years of hard work, Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve has signed a cooperation agreement with the three northern provinces of Laos, forming the “China Shangyong-Laos Nammuha” in the south and the north “China Mengla-Laos Phongsali” with a total length of approximately 220 kilometers and an area. Five joint protection areas of nearly 133 square kilometers ensure the safety of cross-border elephant herds.
Harmony between man and elephant
In the past, the ancestors of the Dai people living in the Lancang River Valley once realized a harmonious symbiosis with elephants. They planted bamboo and plantains around the village to attract elephants to foraging nearby to drive away carnivorous beasts in the forest and protect the peace of the village.
Nowadays, the picture of the harmonious coexistence of people and elephants in Yunnan appears on the TV screen——
In the footage of the Japanese media Fuji TV reporting the elephant’s northward movement, a policeman on duty explained to the driver the reason why the road ahead was impassable while checking the passing vehicles, and kindly asked: “You are here to see the elephant. Right?” This scene caused heated discussions among Japanese netizens, who believed that “the people of Yunnan, China are very friendly to elephants”.
It also exists in Yunnan, where Asian elephants live. In the process of the northward movement of the elephant herd, the people of Yunnan showed great tolerance and patience——
In Yuxi
For crops eaten by elephants
The villagers said:
“The elephant is greedy, it’s okay, it eats as long as it wants.
Our crops are eaten and can grow next year,
If the elephant is gone, there will be no more. “
In the red river
In order not to disturb the elephants
When celebrating traditional festivals
The masses do not engage in celebrations and pray for blessings
Instead, paste the “Ji” slogan
Send blessings for harmony between humans and elephants, and draw a lucky “xiang” in the heart
Songs and dances to send lucky “elephant” and other methods
Express love for Asian elephants
To ensure the smooth return of the Asian elephants
When the companies along the route pass by the Asian elephants
Turn off the lights and stop production, keep silent…
In Pu’er
Liushun Town, Simao District
Yang Zhongping, a villager in Mengzhuzhai Village of Nanbanghe Village, said:
Worked as a wild Asian elephant monitor for 3 years
Elephants are inseparable from people
Humans and elephants can live in harmony on a piece of land
Elephants have become part of the lives of the villagers
To better grasp the whereabouts of elephants
Reduce the probability of encounters
Yunnan Province has hired 122 full-time Asian elephant monitors
Establish a “two-in-one package” monitoring system
Established an Asian Elephant Monitoring and Early Warning Center in Xishuangbanna Prefecture
Comprehensive use of manual tracking and designated equipment
And drones and other monitoring methods
Real-time monitoring of the distribution, quantity and activity of Asian elephants
And through the customized App to the masses in the distribution area
Real-time release of Asian elephant activity information
Remind the masses to avoid Asian elephants
In order to alleviate the human-elephant conflict caused by the Asian elephant accident-
1998
The Yunnan Provincial Government promulgated the “Measures for Compensation for Damage to Personal Property Caused by Key Protected Terrestrial Wild Animals in Yunnan Province”, and the funds required for compensation are included in the budgets of governments at all levels.
Year 2009
Signed the “Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Public Liability Insurance Service Agreement” with an insurance company. It is the first attempt to introduce a commercial insurance mechanism in Xishuangbanna to compensate for the losses caused to the masses caused by wild elephant accidents. , And gradually realize the transition from government compensation to commercial compensation.
2014 to 2020
Accumulatively compensated 173 million yuan in losses caused by Asian elephants.
In order to reduce the harm of Asian elephants to crops and economic crops, and to supplement food resources for Asian elephants, people have built “canteens” for elephants——
Since the 1990s, Xishuangbanna has successively built food source bases in Nandun and Lengshanhe areas of Shangyongzi Reserve, Guanping, Lianhuatang area, Liangshuiqing area and Shulinzhai area of Mengyangzi Reserve. Pu’er City uses a subsidy of 200 yuan per mu to encourage farmers to plant plantains, corn, palm leaf reeds and other plants that Asian elephants like to eat at different times and seasons to make up for the economic losses caused to farmers by Asian elephants.
Shelter and rescue will bring elephants and humans closer together——
Six years ago, the little elephant “Yang Niu” rescued by the Asian Elephant Rescue and Breeding Center in Xishuangbanna, under the record of “Elephant Daddy”, quickly attracted more than 800,000 fans with a smart and lovely image, and became a well-deserved one. “Internet celebrity little elephant”.
Including “Yang Niu”, the Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Rescue and Breeding Center, established in 2002, participated in the rescue and rescue of 24 wild Asian elephants 21 times, and successfully accommodated 7 wild elephants such as “Ranran” and “Xiaoqiang”. At present, the “Ambulance Center” is carrying out nursing and breeding of 7 Asian elephants that have been sheltered and rescued, and persists in wild survival training every day, so that they can gradually adapt to the wild living environment and prepare for wild wild release.
At the same time, the “Rescue Center” actively carried out research and exploration on the breeding of Asian elephants, using artificial assistance for natural breeding, and successfully bred 9 Asian elephants, all of which grew well.
Expert introduction
With the implementation of comprehensive hunting bans
Yunnan Asian elephants were originally “fear of people”
Became the current “accompaniment” event
Frequently enter the fields and villages for food
Food habits have changed
Highly overlapping human activity space
today
The proverb “Dai depends on the elephant, and the elephant depends on the Dai”
Still spread among the people in Xishuangbanna
Local government and people
Actively explore better ways to live in harmony with elephants
my country will strengthen measures to further promote the protection of Asian elephants
On August 12, the Steering Group of the National Forestry and Grass Administration’s Northward Movement of Elephant Disposal, the Yunnan Forestry and Grass Administration, the Pu’er City Government, and the Mojiang County Government launched thematic publicity activities at the Tropic of Cancer Symbol Park in Mojiang County, calling on people to continue to care and pay attention to Asia Elephants, resist illegal hunting of elephants and the ivory trade, protect elephant habitats, and promote harmony between humans and elephants.Asian elephants are the largest surviving in Asia
The most representative land animals
Widely concerned by society
This time the elephant herd moved north
Make Asian elephants
A veritable star species
In recent years, in order to protect the Asian elephants and their habitats, my country has adopted the establishment of nature reserves, the implementation of major projects such as the protection of wild animals and plants and the construction of nature reserves, compensation for personal and property damage caused by the Asian elephants, strengthening of shelter, rescue and breeding, and strengthening of transcendence. A series of measures such as cooperation in environmental protection and strict law enforcement and supervision have enabled the number of Asian elephants in my country to steadily expand, and the quality of their habitats has also been significantly improved. As the number of wild Asian elephants continues to increase, elephants continue to spread out of the nature reserve, and the northern migration of elephants is one of them.
Zhang Zhizhong, director of the Wildlife Conservation Department of the National Forestry and Grass Administration, stated at the theme publicity activity that my country will take measures to strengthen habitat protection and restoration, and strengthen monitoring and early warning to further promote the protection of Asian elephants.
Zhang Zhizhong said that my country will continue to adhere to field patrols and rescues to ensure the safety of wild populations and their habitats, focus on strengthening habitat protection and restoration, continue to improve the quality of habitats and expand the scope; strengthen the prevention and compensation of human-elephant conflicts, and implement Scientific control measures, a sound compensation mechanism, proper resolution of human-image conflicts, and effective protection of the interests of the masses; promote the rescue of breeding populations in accordance with the law, establish a stable gene bank of artificial breeding populations, and study the return to nature.
At the same time, increase research on scientific assessment of capacity, genetic exchanges between populations, overcome technical problems, and propose scientific solutions; strengthen international cooperation and exchanges, and fully display the achievements of Asian elephant protection and ecological civilization construction; continue to crack down on the poaching of Asian elephants and illegal activities. Criminal activities such as trading ivory, strictly prevent poaching and illegal ivory trade; carry out in-depth publicity and education, raise public awareness of protection, and create a good social environment for strengthening the protection of Asian elephants.
Currently
National park construction with Asian elephants as the main protection object
Has been put on the agenda
The scope of existing habitats will be optimized through integration
Establish a unified protection management system
Further enhance the protection of Asian elephants
And the level of safety precautions
future
Yunnan Province will accelerate the creation of Asian Elephant National Park
Efforts to strengthen the construction of Asian elephant habitat
Further strengthen monitoring and early warning
Safety precautions and emergency response system construction
Go all out to promote harmony between humans and images
This way
Elephant group
Go north and return south
Doesn’t seem to change anything
But we know
everything
All different
This is once
Yunnan Practice of Biodiversity
In our hearts
In the hearts of children
Planted a beautiful seed
Will grow into in the future
The towering tree where man and nature coexist harmoniously
Cloud newspaper client integration
Reporter: Duan Yi, Wang Dan, Hu Xiaorong
.