Solving a dilemma caused by elephants

Living in harmony

Human-elephant conflicts are common in countries such as India and Thailand, said Chen, adding that China's efforts to protect Asian elephants are becoming more and more effective.

In 2017, the nature reserve near Xiangyanqing village, Xishuangbanna, moved to protect residents from elephant intrusions.

A fence made of steel pipes and more than 2 meters high was built around the village, with small doors inserted to allow people to move in and out of the protected area.

After construction of the fence, elephants have never entered the village. "Elephants often pass by from a distance, but they can't get in, allowing us to sleep soundly now," villager Wang Yan said.

When Wang was a child, members of her family often took turns guarding the crops for at least two months of the year. "When wild elephants came we tried to chase them away, but we never hurt them," Wang said.

When elephants cause damage villagers can seek compensation as the Yunnan government has purchased commercial wild animal insurance covering the entire province.

Meanwhile, Xishuangbanna has started to build food bases and plant bananas and bamboo trees across the prefecture to create a better habitat for the elephants. Officials have allocated about 553.3 hectares for planting of these crops.

Increased monitoring using modern technologies in an early warning system has also helped curb elephant intrusions into human populations. Since 2016, Menghai county has used drones to monitor elephant movements and released real-time early warning information through mobile apps, such as WeChat.

The early warning system has helped prevent more than 400 people having close encounters with wild elephants.

Xinhua