China's famous herd of wandering elephants has recently increased in population with a notable rise in the number of baby elephants, according to the Pu'er Forest Fire Brigade of Yunnan Province.
In video footage taken by firefighters on a recent patrol near the Guanping station in the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, a large group of wild Asian elephants can be seen moving through the forest. They sometimes form a long line along a creek while, at other times, they can be seen foraging, with adults helping the youngsters find their feet.
The baby elephants were also frequently observed snuggling close to their mothers or nursing.
"There were 16 elephants in 2021. Now, they live with other herds, making a total of 28 elephants. We recently observed seven baby elephants," said Hong Guanghua, a firefighter with the Xishuangbanna detachment of the Yunnan Forest Fire Brigade.
The herd gained global attention four years ago when they traveled north from the Xishuangbanna tropical rainforest to the outskirts of Kunming, Yunnan's capital, before returning to their traditional habitat in the southern parts of the province with human assistance.
Asian elephants receive first class protection in China and their population in the country has doubled from about 150 in the 1980s to more than 300 today, thanks to the country's increased conservation efforts.
China's famous wandering elephant herd grows larger
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Monday launched the first phase of a new claims system that will allow importers to seek repayment of tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Companies and their customs brokers can submit refund requests through CBP's Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) portal using a newly developed tool known as the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE, starting Monday.
Once a claim is validated, CBP will recalculate the duties without the IEEPA tariffs and reliquidate the entries, triggering repayment. The refunds will be paid directly to the businesses that originally paid the tariffs, local media reported Monday.
Valid refunds will generally be issued within 60 to 90 days after a claim is accepted, CBP said, though more complex cases could take longer.
CBP is rolling out the refund process in phases. Court filings show that more than 330,000 importers paid duties on over 53 million shipments, totaling roughly 166 billion U.S. dollars.
The Supreme Court ruled in February that U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs under IEEPA are unconstitutional. It is Congress, not the president, that holds authority over such taxes.
Following the ruling, a judge at the U.S. Court of International Trade directed CBP to remove the tariffs from affected entries and refund any excess duties collected, along with interest.
U.S. gov't begins refunding tariffs to businesses
U.S. gov't begins refunding tariffs to businesses
