China protects wild Asian elephants, habitats

China has taken measures to protect Asian, or Indian, Elephants and their wild habitats in thepast years, which helped stabilize the number of the species in the country.

China now has 150 to 250 wild Asian Elephants living in Yunnan Province, the southwest of the country, according to the State Administration of Forestry.

To protect the animal from extinction, the country set up two state-level natural reserves and one provincial one in Yunnan to protect its 312,494 hectares of elephant habitat. More than 600 people are engaged in part-time or full-time patrols in these areas.

The government has also invested 3.9 million yuan (470,000 US dollars) in a project to move residents living in the reserves outof the areas, and worked out regulations to provide compensation for losses caused by invading of elephants. Each year, the provincial government allocates 3 to 4 million yuan in this respect.

While improving protection, the government has spared no efforts in cracking down on ivory smuggling and hunting of Asian Elephants. In the past seven years, the government has prosecuted 27 cases illegal hunting of Asia Elephants and smuggling of ivory.

Source: Xinhua