Asian Elephants Leave Their Reserve in Search of a Better Habitat

Elephants in China have left their nature reservation and are roaming across different cities for a new habitat.

The family of 15 wild elephants left their nature reserve more than a year ago. They have traveled more than 300 miles in the last year in search of a bigger habitat.

The Chinese government is tracking the elephants using drones. Authorities have helped them cross roadways and tried to steer them away from densely populated areas. Still, the elephants have trampled more than a million dollars worth of crops on their journey.

The length of the migration is unheard of for Asian elephants, prompting some scientists to believe they left in search of better habitat and are having a hard time finding it. ‘For some reason, these elephants felt that their traditional home range was no longer suitable… and then they just left to find somewhere else,’ said Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, an elephant specialist at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden.

Elephants Escape Nature Reserve and Wander Across China In Search of Better Habitat

The elephants previously lived in Yunnan province where native forests are being cut down for tea and rubber plantations. China’s elephant population has doubled over the last 30 years from 150 to 300, due to anti-poaching laws. Unfortunately, their habitats continue to shrink.

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Elephants in Thailand Are Out of Work During Pandemic

The lack of tourists in Thailand has left many elephants without work. Many elephant camps are unable to feed them and have left operators with no way to take care of their charges. Elephants are an integral part of the tourist industry in Thailand, and 3,800  elephants in the country are working domesticated animals. 

The tourism industry, 20% of Thailand’s economy, has been devastated by the pandemic, and many organizations are struggling to pay for the food and handlers needed for their elephants.  An elephant eats as much as 300 kg (660 lbs) of fruits and vegetables each day. Elephants, especially in the northern part of Thailand, have been left chained up as companies deal with the lack of work for them. 

We saw the one camp [in Chiang Mai] that had closed and was basically holding all of their elephants parked on one-meter chains 24 hours a day. It’s like battery farming of chickens. Basically, you throw food at them, you scrape the dung away and that’s going to be their existence for the next three months.”

John Roberts – Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation

There aren’t many good options for out-of-work elephants. Some of them may end up working for illegal logging operations. It is also illegal to release the elephants into the wild, and national parks and sanctuaries don’t have enough resources to handle the doubling of the elephant population. Some operators have been forced to bring their elephants back to rural villages where the elephants are more able to feed off the land. 

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