An Asian elephant once known for roaming through Pu’er city, has successfully returned to the wild after years of rewilding training. This marks the first time that a rescued wild elephant has been reintroduced into its natural habitat in China, reported Xinhua.
Abao had wandered into the bustling streets of Pu’er in south-west China’s Yunnan province back in 2018. Though he attracted widespread attention and concern, his journey was not unique. In recent years, many Yunnan elephants have roamed beyond nature reserves, due to factors including climate change and habitat loss caused by agricultural expansion, as Dialogue Earth explored last year. On the positive side, it is also down to successful protections growing the number of wild elephants in China from about 150 in 1978 to more than 300 nowadays.
When Abao was spotted in Pu’er, the local authorities coaxed him back to the outskirts with food. But when he returned the next day, they captured him to forestall any conflict with people. He was relocated to the Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Rescue and Breeding Center where he underwent years of preparation for a return to the wild.
Staff at the centre reintroduced Abao to his natural diet and reduced unnecessary human contact. Beginning in 2022, in a trial reintroduction and independent wild training, Abao spent increasing amounts of time in the wild, and human intervention was gradually removed.
On 17 May, the rehabilitation process ended when Abao was officially released into the wild. Since then, Abao has adapted well, exploring a large area and avoiding human settlements, according to collar tracking and drone monitoring. He has even attempted to join a wild elephant group.
Experts will continue to monitor Abao to assess the effectiveness of the rewilding process. Xinhua says this will help develop a replicable process for reintroducing Asian elephants into the wild.
Read Dialogue Earth’s previous report on human–bear conflict on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.