Stray elephants ‘ unlikely to go home’ as Yunnan moves into rainy season

A herd of stray wild Asian elephants in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province has been away from its home for two months, with its current direction of travel showing no intention of returning. As Yunnan enters the rainy season, the elephants’ return will almost certainly be delayed as well. The local government is making every effort to guide them to a suitable new habitat, and compensating local villagers for the economic losses suffered in the “elephant exodus.”

As the herd has moved too far from its original habitat, and Yunnan has entered the rainy season making it difficult to cross rivers, it is extremely unlikely that the herd will return to its original habitat at any time soon, Zhang Li, a field wildlife biologist and professor on mammal conservation at Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times.

“The best solution is to find a new and more suitable habitat for the herd and guide them there, away from crowds, to reduce the possibility of human- elephant conflict,” Zhang said.

Experts also pointed out that if the elephant herd eventually returns to its original habitat in Xishuangbanna, it will be in winter at the earliest.

Yunnan is trying to use rainfall, cooling weather and other favorable conditions, in addition to food, to guide the elephants.

Although the herd has not caused any casualties, it has done a lot of economic damage. In Yuxi alone, the elephants caused damage to more than 400 households, mainly to economic crops such as bananas and corn. All damage and compensation is being determined, and the government will give residents full compensation for any damage caused by the elephants, local officials said on Sunday.

“The public liability insurance for wildlife accidents covers the whole province of Yunnan. Citizens do not need to buy it separately,” Xiang Ruwu, an official of the Yunnan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau, said.