This aerial picture shows a migrating herd of wild Asian elephants sleeping in southwest China, July 24, 2021. (Yunnan Forest Brigade via AFP)
There have been unusual Chinese elephants travelling for years, but their reason for the travel is unknown. It is no secret that China is concerned about the issue simultaneously as everyone else around the world. Using primitive and modern techniques, they guide the small herd back home.
In a village, the herd experiences a unique sequence of events.
The entire village populace is first brought indoors. The local area is then without power. To tempt the unauthorized guests, bananas are left on the opposite side.
There is no difference in the welcome ceremony. It is an unusual effort to guide the rescued cat home over steep, winding, and often populated terrain over China’s wayward herd of 14 wild elephants.
As part of a great food trip across southeastern Yunnan farmland bursting with sugarcane, bananas, and dragon fruit, the group left its range south near the Laos border 16 months ago.
The elephants’ antics have captured the attention of Chinese citizens. The animals are seen roaming through cities, drinking grain alcohol, and lying in fields.
This aerial photo shows a migrating herd of wild Asian elephants in southwest China, July 26, 2021. (AFP Photo)
Jumbo task
Three dozen Yunnan forest firefighters are responsible for shepherding elephants safely home, tracking night-moving animals that can disappear into a dense forest and trek up to 30 kilometers (18 miles).
It is the farthest north that wild Asian elephants have travelled in recorded history, according to Yang Xiangyu (the task force leader).
Before these, elephants were only seen in zoos or on television.
When the elephants arrived in Kunming in May, alarmed officials formed the task force.
Drones fly overhead to monitor them.
At the command post in Daqiao, Yunnan province, southwest China, on July 23, 2021, members of the Yunnan Forest Brigade fly a drone to track a herd of migratory wild Asian elephants. (AFP Image)
Team members sat in front of a large-screen TV at a temporary village headquarters. At the same time, front-line colleagues rebroadcast the first images of the day.
As the white clouds dispersed, elephant-like grey-brown silhouettes appeared. Before settling down in the heat of the day, they probed for food in a forest clearing near a village.
At dusk, they get up again.
By using loudspeakers and knocking on doors, they are urged to close their doors when they approach villages.
Elephants are prevented from sparking fires or electrocuting themselves by cutting the power supply. Vehicles are parked on the roads or side routes to keep the herd moving.
In the evening, the exhausting task force redeploys to its new location, and the circus resumes operations at dusk after finding its new destination.
At the command post in Daqiao, Yunnan province, southwest China, on July 23, 2021, members of the Yunnan Forest Brigade fly a drone to track a herd of migratory wild Asian elephants. (AFP Image)
The smartest and deadliest
There was no doubt that their chaperones were astonished by how intelligent the elephants were.
According to Yang, Yang’s mature female leader knows how to feed and water the herd best.
Using tree branches to grip their trunks, they scratch an inaccessible itch, swat insects, or draw designs on the ground.
Their skin is protected by mud. A piece of vegetation can be used to make a “sunhat,” Yang explained. Using their dexterous trunks, they can open doors, turn on faucets, and lift the covers of water wells.
Three juveniles were found, officials said. The odyssey gave birth to two of them. To allow the young elephants to climb over traffic guardrails, the adult elephants crushed them down.
On July 23, 2021, at the command post in Daqiao, Yunnan province, southwest China, members of the Yunnan Forest Brigade assemble a drone to track a herd of migratory wild Asian elephants. (AFP Image)
They have been the subject of a national conservation lesson in China’s state media.
Elephants can be very dangerous when they feel threatened by their young, especially if they weigh up to four tons and move quickly.
According to Chen Mingyong (an elephant behaviour expert at Yunnan University), two men who fled for the home in March strode over a villager and killed him. It has not been reported that the death occurred.
Chen explained that the Asian elephant is a wild beast and must be treated with respect.
Animals are kept away from media for safety reasons.
Mysterious migration
Meanwhile, why the elephants began their trek remains a puzzle.
Several factors can explain this increase in wild elephants.
Climate change could also affect their habitat indirectly, Chen suggested. According to him, they may have taken a wrong turn due to fluctuations in the earth’s electromagnetic field.
Researchers are still puzzled by how skilled navigators reached Kunming almost immediately before trying to return south a few months ago.
According to Chen, elephants circle to search for food.
This aerial picture shows a migrating herd of wild Asian elephants in southwest China, July 14, 2021. (Yunnan Forest Brigade via AFP)
“We don’t know enough about a lot of behavioral tendencies.”
According to Yang, they have travelled more than 700 kilometers (435 miles) and are now pointing back toward home. Nevertheless, there are still hundreds of kilometres to be covered.
A brilliant foodie, according to Chen, is slow in consuming summer vegetables.
Despite this, Yang and his team have grown attached to the gate-crashers and will be able to return home when it is more relaxed in the autumn, which is a bittersweet prospect for them.
When their monitors show elephants, elephant trackers feel happy.