Searching for wild elephants in the forests

Yang Wanli

If there is a list of people who are best acquainted (熟悉)with wild Asian elephants in China,Zhou Xuesong's name is certain to be on it.

Zhou said that in the 1990s China faced questions from people overseas about whether wild Asian elephants actually lived in the country, because there were no photos or videos of them.Between 1991 and 2012, he entered the virgin forests of southern Yunnan many times as he sought to put those doubts to bed.

Two brothers who lived in Mengyang helped Zhou build a view⁃ing platform in the trees.After long hours'waiting,Zhou's efforts were paid off.He finally found a herd of 11 elephants, including a new⁃born calf,about 200 meters from him.Wild Asian elephants did actu⁃ally live in China.At the time, a bull elephant appeared in front of Zhou.At this life⁃or⁃death moment, he remembered some advice the brothers had given him, and quickly rolled down a hill.“They had told me that elephants slow down when they are going downhill to control their weight,”he said.

Zhou believes that a balanced environment must involve moderate（适度的）human activity.He believes that wild elephants need homes with diverse plants rather than tall trees.“To solve such conflicts, I think a national park should be established to help create a long⁃term plan to restore the elephants' habitats and build harmonious relations between these old giants and humans,”he said.

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What does Zhou think of a balanced environment?