The Yunnan elephants trekking north has grabbed attention worldwide and they have become a global icon on social media. However, behind the lovely pictures and popularity, the more important thing is to find out why they left the habitat and how to handle this situation. To gather professional advice on how to better deal with this situation, The Beijing News interviewed Greta F lori, the Director of Program Development at Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation (EPIF). CBCGDF also actively reached out to experts and organizations worldwide and set up an elephant working group to try to solve this issue from its core. 

BJNEWS: What’s your opinion on China’s approach to these migrant elephants?

Greta: Relevant authorities in China have sought cooperation and advice from experts in Asia and overseas to discuss the best solution. EPIF highly appreciates that. We would love to support China on this mission and this incident is an opportunity to showcase China’s determination on elephant protection. Although there is no shortcut to this situation, China has been gathering knowledge on elephant migration. And it’s good to see that the public has also shown great interest in these elephants and offered some help. 

BJNEWS: What do you think of China’s protection for Asian Elephants? What are your suggestions on wildlife protection?

Greta：In recent decades, China has done a good job in protecting those 300 Asian Elephants. However, their habitat needs constant conservation and management. Only when they have enough living space and thorough protection can the herd thrive.

BJNEWS: Why did the elephants leave their habitat?

Greta: This is rare to see, given the fact that there are also baby elephants. The reasons may vary, and like other animals, they may keep moving until they find a safe place with enough food to eat. 

BJNEWS: Have you ever encountered a similar scenario? 

Greta: In Africa, we often see elephants leave their habitat, sometimes it happens every night. They may go to nearby cropland to forage and then come back to habitat during the day. 

BJNEWS: How to avoid human-elephant conflict? What’s your advice on solving this issue?

Greta：Human-elephant conflict often happens around resources such as land, food, and water. If elephants can have enough food, then they are unlikely to destroy locals’ properties for food and water. Moreover, it is important to keep them calm and comfortable. If they can find a small forest to rest in, it can help them destress. We can build fences to keep them out of farmland. However, this is only a short-term fix by transferring human-elephant conflict to another area. We need data on their current habitat, surrounding residential area, and their daily routines for a long-term solution.

BJNEWS: What are the do’s and don’ts in terms of tracking the elephants?

Greta：The most crucial principle is not to irritate or disturb them. People should keep a safe distance and lower the noise level. Try not to intervene much, especially around baby elephants because this will provoke adult elephants. Now the herd seems to get used to accepting food and water. Therefore, letting elephants eat, drink, and shower without interference is an effective measure. 

BJNEWS: What aspects do you think are worth attention regarding habitat management? 

Greta： First, it is important to take care of the residents living near or within the habitat. Second, there should be enough financial support. Third, decision-making should be based on reliable scientific evidence and effective law enforcement to sustain the integrity of the habitat. However, considering elephants’ size, food intake, intelligence, movement, and the complicated interaction with humans, the management work is not easy. It is a challenge for Asian and African countries.  On the other hand, elephants can slow down climate change and benefit the ecosystem. So protecting elephants will create value for residents living nearby and bring considerable benefits to humans and the planet.  

BJNEWS: How to achieve co-existence between humans and elephants?

Greta：Like I said previously, we should strive to provide enough habitat and protection for elephants and fulfill their needs. If these cannot be met, there will always be human-elephant conflicts. However, even if elephants have a large enough habitat, there is still a possibility that the conflict might happen. Therefore, we should adopt effective measures in advance, such as building fences. It is also important to make sure the residents living nearby are fully educated on this matter to damage the habitat to make a living. Similarly, if elephants damage locals’ properties, there should also be compensation for that. 

Translator/Iris 

Original Chinese article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/M5B2s0ZZH8Cyy5yXLCNfog 

Contribution

https://www.paypal.me/CBCGDFChina

http://www.cbcgdf.org/English/ConfirmDonaTion/0.html