2023-07-21 04:30:04
A total of 43 wild elephants recently approached residential areas in the Chinese town of Mohan, located in the southern province of Yunnan, without incidents so far, the local newspaper Global Times reported today.
Some Mohan residents reported the first sightings on July 12, when they found them crushing and eating part of their crops.
As of that date, the local Fire Department began to monitor their movements and detected two more approaches to residential areas by the pachyderms, after which they issued a cautionary notice to the neighbors.
These animals can be dangerous: in the town of Xishuangbanna, located in the same province, four attacks by wild elephants in May caused three deaths and one wounded, the newspaper reported.
Wild animal expert Xie Zhongyi, quoted by the Global Times, explained that wild Asian elephants often feel “insecure and threatened” if humans get too close or share the same natural resources with them, and may show aggressive behavior.
“Constant monitoring is a good way to keep the balance between the neighbors and the elephants, as we cannot forbid them to enter our residential areas or harm them in defense,” Xie said, adding that the province has improved its methods to deal with the “dilemma” of human-animal coexistence.
Yunnan is known for its rich biodiversity.
In 2021, news of a herd of elephants moving north from their habitat brought public attention to these animals.
The pachyderms undertook a long journey with an unknown destination, but much further north than usual, something that experts considered “unusual”.
This forced the authorities of the province to evacuate a minimum of 150,000 inhabitants to avoid conflicts with the animals, in addition to supplying them with more than 180 tons of food.
The population of wild Asian elephants – under A-level state protection, the highest in China – living in Yunnan is about 300 individuals.
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