Growing elephant numbers risk conflicts

Niu Minghui is concerned about a group of wild Asian elephants that pay surprise visits to steal crops from his backyard.

One night in June, Niu heard loud noises outside. Inching the curtains open, he saw a massive wild elephant casually munching on corn that it had stolen from next door.

"I did not dare turn on the lights, and I put my cellphone on silent," said Niu, 29, of Shiban village in Southwest China's Yunnan province.