The number of Asian elephants across the continent has halved since the mid-20th century.
The population of the endangered Asian elephant has doubled to around 360 individuals in the past 25 years in China, according to the Yunnan Provincial Forestry and Plains Bureau.
One part of the effort to increase the number of Asian elephants has been the Xishuangbanna area team, which has rescued and cared for more than 20 wild elephants since 2008.
Specimens arriving at the Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Centre are often wounded. In addition to rehabilitation, the animals are helped to regain their survival skills by taking them out into the wild to exercise.
The Asian elephant is the continent’s largest land animal, whose daily routine includes eating, playing and sleeping. To survive, an adult elephant must spend two-thirds of the day eating grass and roots.
The number of Asian elephants on the entire continent has dropped by half since the middle of the 20th century. According to the researchers’ estimate, there are around 48,000-52,000 individuals living in the wild.
In China, elephants are strictly protected, but their living space is shrinking as people take areas for their own use. The ban imposed by the country reduced the sales of ivory in China already in the same year.
*The story and the video are based on the content of the Chinese state television broadcast by the news agency Reuters.*
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