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August 14, 2006
Wild Elephants
LOCATION: Zhenyuan, Yunnan Province, China
SEE WHERE WE ARE!
Longitude: N: 23.93741°
Latitude: E: 101.14094°
Miles from Singapore: 2780
Despite the bad roads and sickness, one high point of the route north from Jinghong has been biking on the old road through Xishuangbanna National Park. The initial disappointment of not being able to ride on the new toll road quickly turned to relief at not having to wrestle with the heavy trucks and the inevitable mud and grime they leave in their wake. The old road added miles onto the journey, but the pay-off was an 'old route 66' feel, where time seemed to lose immediacy and the sights and sounds of the surrounding rainforest stole our attention instead. Oh, and did I mention elephants?
Rounding a corner we stumbled upon 11 of the remaining 300-odd 'wild' elephants that still inhabit the region. Now protected, they are perhaps the only locally threatened species on the increase (unlike wild tigers, leopards and golden-haired monkeys). The government now offers compensation to farmers whose crops have been destroyed by elephants and in 1998 they banned the hunting and processing of animals.
Although still free-range I had the definite impression that these animals were used to the sight of humans, not surprising perhaps seeing as a major highway now runs straight through their backyard. Nonetheless it was great to see them. And the social interaction between the family members, in particular the capacity for play amongst the youngsters, struck me as almost human-like.
jason
Posted on August 14, 2006 2:17 PM