Locals in Yunnan trained on Asian elephant awareness

Residents advised on how to deal with mammals if they enter inhabited areas

Editor's note: As protection of the planet's flora, fauna and resources becomes increasingly important, China Daily is publishing a series of stories to illustrate the country's commitment to safeguarding the natural world.

On just the second day after arriving in Mengla county in the Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, Ma Chenyue and her colleagues received word that a group of 43 wild Asian elephants had been sighted near a village some 60 kilometers from Mengla's county seat. These majestic animals, the largest land mammals in Asia, were spotted foraging in corn fields.

Ma, program manager of the International Fund for Animal Welfare China, and her team were eager to witness firsthand the elephants' expansion into areas inhabited by humans.