The population of wild Asian elephants in China has grown steadily after years of conservation efforts, and the relevant regions have actively used high-tech tools and means to strengthen the observation and protection of the endangered animal species.
August 12 marks the World Elephant Day every year.
The current population of wild Asian elephants in southwest China's Yunnan Province has grown to more than 300, according to data released by the Yunnan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau. The number is still expanding as this year's breeding season has seen a peak in the birth of baby elephants.
The results of a recent survey show that in recent years, the Asian elephants in Yunnan have shown three obvious changes: an increase in number, expanded population, and a change in habits. On the one hand, the changes reflect the fruits of the efforts to protect Asian elephants, but on the other it also brings a potential risk that the activity space of humans and elephants is highly overlapped.
Li Peng, director of the wildlife conservation division under the Yunnan Forestry and Grassland Bureau, said that when encountering wild elephants, people can escape by distracting them, but such occasions should best be avoided.
"Asian elephants are very interested in spheres, cylinders, and ribbon-shaped objects. They love to play with them. You can distract the elephants with them. You'll have a chance to run away if they are distracted for a moment. But generally speaking, the most basic principle for humans and wild animals is that humans and wild animals keep their own space," Li said.
Facing this problem, a comprehensive Asian elephant monitoring and early warning system has been established in the regions with frequent elephant activities. In addition to traditional manual monitoring, there are also drones in the sky and infrared cameras on the ground to help count and protect elephants in the wild.
"It only takes 12 seconds from monitoring and identifying elephants to issuing an early warning. Since the platform was built, no human-elephant conflict incidents have occurred within its coverage area," said Tan Xuji, director of the Asian elephant monitoring center under the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve Research Institute.
In Guanping Village, Xishuangbanna, where Asian elephants frequently travel back and forth, the staff have set up an audio-visual early warning system to monitor wild elephant movement 24 hours a day.
When suspected signs of elephant activity are found, the infrared camera will immediately capture it, and then the monitoring room staff will notify the on-duty management staff for confirmation. If it is confirmed to be wild elephant activity, the system will automatically issue an early warning message and notify nearby residents through the radio.
The project includes the establishment of a backend management platform for network information exchange, and the installation of 177 smart radio transmitters to remind nearby residents to pay attention to travel safety and stay away from areas where elephants are found. Since its launch, the platform has issued more than 100,000 early warnings, effectively avoiding "human-elephant conflicts."
Tech-based platform established to monitor elephant movement in southwest China's Yunnan
