Top-level protection

The Asian elephant, which is included on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species as "endangered", enjoys Class-A protection in China, the same level afforded to the giant panda.

Yunnan is the sole habitat of wild Asian elephants in China. Before the 1970s, the species was threatened due to a number of factors, including a surge in the human population, reduced forestry areas and illegal hunting. The number of elephants dropped significantly.

However, due to determined protection efforts in recent decades, the Asian elephant population in China has risen from 170 in the 1970s to 300, according to the Yunnan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The province has established 11 nature reserves with a total area of about 510,000 hectares. The number of counties inhabited by wild Asian elephants in Yunnan has risen from seven in 2017 to eight. Last year, 7,500 hectares of land was also transformed into new habitat for the animals.

However, the growing elephant population has resulted in more conflicts between the animals and humans, resulting in more than 60 deaths and injuries. Damage to property caused by the animals from 2011 to 2018 is estimated at more than 170 million yuan ($26.69 million), according to the authorities.

The 15 roaming elephants have damaged 561,333 square meters of crops and caused financial losses of nearly 6.8 million yuan on their 400-km journey, but no deaths or injuries to local residents have been reported.

Zhao Youfang, a villager in Nuodong, Menghai county, Xishuangbanna, said: "Wild elephants have appeared frequently in nearby areas in recent years. The government monitors their activities and helps us set up chat groups on social media platforms to share alerts, but we are not worried about possible injuries.

"Elephants are a protected species, but we need protection, too. Compared to these animals, humans could not stand even a single blow," he said, recalling an incident several years ago, in which a person in a neighboring village was killed by elephants.