Increase population of Asian elephants, a baby Asian elephant, attracted much attention on the Internet weeks ago with a video showing him sliding down a muddy slope.
In the clip, following his first attempt, the creature went uphill and glided down again with his knees bent on the ground. Months ago, another video showing him playing water with his keeper, also impressed many Web users. But his mood was nothing like this when he was rescued in July last year. At that time, the elephant was in a serious physical condition. “One of his feet was trapped in vine plants, resulting in a circular wound. I was shocked when I first saw him. increase population of Asian elephants, There was a lot of pus, and the foot was seriously festering,” said Xiong Chaoyong, a keeper at the Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Center. The center is the only facility of its kind in China. It’s located in southwest China’s Xishuangbanna, a region mainly inhabited by Dai ethnic group and home to the largest number of Asian elephants in the country. Xiong said after months of meticulous treatment, Long Long gradually recovered and got increasingly lively and naughty. This is only one of the many success stories at the rescue center. Since its creation in 2008, it has saved more than 20 elephants in need of help, who were mostly wounded and separated with their family.
Xiong Chaoyong is a veteran caretaker at the center. His first rescue mission happened in 2005 before the facility was formally established. That time, a female elephant was found at stake in the wild. “At first, I thought her chances of survival were slim. Judging from her overall condition, some experts had the idea of giving up on her and even proposed euthanasia,” Xiong told CGTN. “But I think it’s our obligation to try our best to rescue her.” With Xiong’s care, Ran Ran gradually got on her feet. He said they formed a close bond during this time and he considered the elephant as his own “daughter”. In 2015, when Prince William, Duke of Cambridge visited Xishuangbanna as a leg of his China tour, he also interacted with Ran Ran and fed her carrots. A surprise came in 2019 when the mammal gave birth to a daughter. Xiong joked that the new arrival made him a “grandfather”. increase population of Asian elephants, Today, more than 10 caretakers work in the center. Their daily routine includes bathing and feeding the giants, and taking them to the wild for field survival training. “I will work to train more new caretakers, helping them know more about elephant rescue, treatment and daily care,” said Xiong. “I hope more people will join the undertaking of Asian elephant conservation.”
Source: This nes is originally published by cgtn