Rangers at the Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Conservation and Management Center in southwest China's Yunnan Province recently captured rare drone footage showing clear fetal movements in a pregnant wild elephant.
The expecting mother is part of the famous "short-nose family" of wild Asian elephants. The footage clearly shows the elephant's abdomen rising and falling rhythmically as her unborn calf moves inside her.
The "short-nose family" gained international fame in 2020 when 16 members of the herd embarked on an epic 17-month, 1,300-kilometer trek from Xishuangbanna before returning to their habitat. During that journey, the herd saw baby elephants born and young males leave the group. By the time they returned south in 2021, the core group had 14 members.
Since then, the family has continued to thrive. Two new calves have already been born this year, bringing the total herd size to 21.
According to experts, the Asian elephant has a gestation period of 18 to 22 months, typically giving birth to a single calf.
Current monitoring shows the "short-nose family" is active in the Mengyang area of the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve and its surrounding areas, where the group remains stable and frequently interacts with other elephant herds.
Rare footage shows pregnant wild Asian elephant's fetal movements
The China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone is accelerating the implementation of reform measures including customs clearance facilitation at ports, in efforts to boost quality growth of the local region's open economy.
China expanded its pilot free trade zones (FTZs) to 23 in April with the establishment of the one in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The State Council's plan on the new pilot FTZ specifies 19 reform and innovation measures, including developing border trade in an innovative way, strengthening international logistics services, improving the efficiency of technology transfer and application, and expanding external exchanges across multiple fields.
The China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot FTZ covers 119.74 square kilometers and comprises three subzones in Hohhot, capital of the autonomous region, Manzhouli, a northern border city, and Erenhot, an inland port on the China-Mongolia border, each tasked with differentiated functions and the development of industries tailored to local conditions.
At the intelligent freight checkpoint of the Manzhouli inland port, drivers can complete customs clearance within just a few seconds by showing a QR code to the scanning machine.
The QR code is generated by a smartphone application, which collects the relevant customs clearance information in advance.
"Only one QR code is needed for customs clearance here. We can go through all the required formalities and have the entire application documentation processed through electronic data transmission. After getting the QR code and having it scanned at the checkpoint, the driver will be allowed to enter the country. It's very convenient and fast," said Zhao Shuang, general manager of a freight company in Manzhouli.
From January to April, Manzhouli's total foreign trade volume increased by 43.1 percent year on year.
Inner Mongolia pilot FTZ accelerates reform to boost quality growth
