Living alongside Asian elephants

Abundant resources

According to Qin, there are two distinct clades of wild Asian elephants distributed across China. Those living in Xishuangbanna and Pu'er, with a population of more than 280, belong to the Alpha clade, and those living within the Nangunhe nature reserve, with a population of only 21, belong to the Beta clade.

The Beta clade is most prominent in Sundaland — tropical rainforest spread across the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Java, as well as the Malay Peninsula — and is also sporadically found in southern and central India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and parts of Thailand.

"In China, Asian elephants from the Beta clade are only found in Nangunhe," Qin said.

Established in 1980 as a nature reserve and upgraded to a national reserve in 1995, Nangunhe covers an area of more than 500 square kilometers. It features nine types of vegetation, including subtropical seasonal rainforest, temperate evergreen broadleaf forest, and coniferous forest.

The reserve is home to a remarkable diversity of seed plant species, accounting for about one-tenth of the nation's total and roughly one-fifth of those found in Yunnan. A survey conducted by the reserve identified over 400 plant species that serve as food sources for Asian elephants.

"This abundance of food allows elephants to easily find food within our reserve," Qin said. "Due to these rich resources, they rarely need to leave the reserve in search of food."

On occasion, elephants may venture near villages surrounding the reserve, particularly those in Banlao and Banhong townships in Cangyuan. However, Qin said, they seldom linger long enough to cause disturbances for the local residents, most of whom belong to the Va ethnic group.

According to the reserve manager, there are 38 villages scattered around the entire nature reserve with a population exceeding 100,000 people. Among these villages, nearly 20,000 people live near areas with distributions of wild Asian elephants.

Despite the proximity, there has only been one reported injury caused by a wild elephant over the past four to five years. The incident occurred when a villager entered the core area of the reserve and unexpectedly encountered a group of elephants, resulting in an injury. "This incident was a result of humans encroaching on the elephants' habitat," Qin said.

The harmonious coexistence between humans and elephants is partly attributed to the Va people's long-standing reverence for the majestic creatures. Each year on April 18, the Va ethnic group celebrates the Gongxiang (Elephant Worship) Festival in Banlao township. Recognized as a provincial intangible cultural heritage in 2022, the festival is a colorful celebration of the Va people's profound connection with nature.

The festival's origins are rooted in the desire to honor and appease the elephants that share their homeland. It features a food offering ritual with sugarcane, corn, and bananas to the elephants believed to be nearby. In addition to these cultural traditions, the reserve manager credits the peaceful relationship to various conservation efforts and protective measures implemented by the reserve and local government over the years.