摘要
Beginning in March 2021,a herd of wild Asian elephants was spotted wandering away from their original habitat in Xishuangbanna in south China’s Yunnan Province and advancing northward,which attracted great attention from the media.Along the journey,they welcomed newborns,saw some leaving and returning,and even arrived on the edges of cities to“visit”human friends.They traveled side by side with vehicles on highways,slept on the ground,and frolicked with each other in the jungle.Jokingly dubbed“short-nosed family,”the elephants brought warmth and healing to millions who became enthusiastic about following their migration trajectory.Special police and forest fire brigades joined up to use drones to monitor and feed the herd with help from scientists from Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve where the elephants normally live.Local villagers joined the efforts by observing the animals silently from afar or making much closer contact.China’s elephant population has been growing continuously after years of conservation efforts,but resources and manpower are still in huge demand.Plans are afoot to establish a national elephant park,partly thanks to increased public awareness of conservation and shared aspirations for creating a more livable habitat for elephants.
