I have a wildlife zoo

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The main point of conflict between humans and elephants lies in the fields where crops are grown.

Villagers toil in the fields, waiting for the harvest time, only to have their yields entirely consumed by elephants.

At dusk, herds of elephants emerge from the forest, saunter into the cornfields, and skillfully peel the husks with their trunks before rolling the corn straight into their bellies.

Not only are elephants' trunks dexterous, but their senses are also acute; they can quickly determine if the corn is ripe, showing no interest in unripe ears.

Rangers, feeling sorry for the crops ravaged by elephants, would quickly gather a basket after the elephants had moved on, picking up the crushed corn left behind.

After picking for a while, they realized the elephants were looking back at them from a distance.

That night, the elephants made a surprise return attack, devouring all the corn in the field.

Elephants are very smart, aware that humans harvest corn, so they aim to eat it all before humans can harvest.

Starting in 2005, to allow people to harvest their crops before the elephants, the Xishuangbanna reserve deliberately chose a gentle slope on the edge of the forest to grow grain for the elephants.

A man-made salt lick was also constructed nearby, burying salt underground, so elephants and other animals could ingest essential minerals and salt.

However, elephants consume crops rapidly, clearing a field in one afternoon before leaving.

Such cultivation for the elephants' consumption has deepened their dietary changes, increasingly relying on these high-starch, high-calorie foods.

It's a last resort.

In response to elephants eating crops, organizations have thought of many solutions.

Villagers whose livelihoods depend heavily on farming and who have been severely affected by elephant raids are employed as elephant monitoring officers.

Although compensation can be claimed for crop damage caused by wild elephants, it still falls short of normal income.

Elephant monitoring officers track wild elephants around the clock and use social media like WeChat to broadcast the elephants' whereabouts to nearby villagers in real time, warning them to avoid conflicts.

There's also an audio-visual warning system; when an infrared camera near the village captures an image of wild elephants, the photos are sent to the manager's email. After confirming the presence of wild elephants, the manager uses loudspeakers, flashing lights, and scrolling messages to notify.

Even if villagers don't check their phones or miss text messages, they can still be notified through the audio-visual warning systems scattered across the fields to prevent injuries and fatalities.

But most crucially, the original forest habitats of the elephants need to be restored so they can obtain the resources they need to survive within the forest, which is the only way to solve the problem at its root.

Organizations are now conducting Asiatic elephant habitat restoration in the reserves, planting bamboo, indocalamus leaves, and wild bananas that elephants favor.

However, there's a significant gap between artificial planting and natural succession. Indocalamus leaves get swept away by elephants' trunks before they can grow; and banana plants laboriously cultivated over a week's time are all uprooted within an hour when the elephants pass through.

Destruction is simple, but restoration is much more difficult.

The Asiatic elephants' habitat must be preserved, and the livelihood issues of the people must also be addressed.

Public welfare projects help villagers transition to other industries, such as developing beekeeping, improving villagers' beehives, and providing beekeeping training.

This way, villagers have a stable source of income, and the bees help with pollination, maintaining the health of the forest ecosystem.

Restoring the forest is also about mending the human heart and the relationship between humans and elephants.

With the food issue resolved, the relationship between elephants and humans harmonized, there's potential to develop tourism based on elephant observation.

There are other measures as well, such as the lack of consideration for elephants in road construction; when elephants walk onto roads and obstruct traffic, migration corridors need to be built for them, and so on.

After reading this, Lin Hao let out a sigh of relief.

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Though faced with many difficulties, there are still solutions to be found.

Economic benefits can be exchanged for environmental sacrifices, and protection can be discussed after economic development.

While pursuing a good life is not wrong, there should be a limit to environmental sacrifices. Take rubber planting at high altitudes, for example, it not only damages the ecological environment but also wastes financial resources.

Even ancient people knew, "To exhaust the pool for the sake of the fish is to end up with no fish the following year."

With televisions, what about having cars? And with cars, what about wanting big houses? Having big houses and reveling in the bright lights and revelry every day, how comfortable to enjoy the flourish.

Human desires are endless.

Studies have investigated the climate impact of large-scale rubber plantations. Forests have a certain effect on precipitation, but it's not significant. Mainly, they intercept atmospheric moisture and increase air humidity, replenishing the soil with water.

The interception by rubber canopies is much lower than that of seasonal rainforests; as the rubber area has increased over the years, the air humidity in Xishuangbanna has significantly decreased, and the degree of atmospheric dryness and the temperature have risen. Simply put, it has become more prone to droughts and wildfires.

If trees are cut down without restraint and replaced with cash crops, then ultimately, the environment will deteriorate. Not only elephants and other animals will suffer, but local residents will be unable to live there. How can one farm in times of drought?

In the end, it will all circle back.

Daigo and the others also wandered around the elephant observation hut, saw the displays, and all expressed their amazement!

Back on the balcony, looking at the distant elephants, they were filled with a rush of emotions.

With this knowledge in mind, looking at the elephants was no longer just about their huge size, cuteness, and gentleness.

They were also dangerous, intelligent, yet tragic animals.

Observing elephants from such a Dai-style bamboo building, one could feel as though they were living among the farmers in a conservation area.

Thinking about the hard work of farming, and seeing a beautiful, lush green field of corn eaten clean by elephants at maturity, one could understand the love-hate relationship with elephants.

A couple of elephants had finished their bath and returned to shore, coming over to the sandy area.

They began to scoop up the sand with their trunks, tossing it onto their backs, heads, and flanks.

Dust rose into the air, and the scene was spectacular.

Playing in the water and tossing sand is an incomparable joy for elephants in the summer.

With such a large pond, several elephants could bathe together, and their relationships improved a bit from when they first met.

Pingping lay directly on the sandy ground, wagging her tail, clearly having the time of her life.

Bobo lifted one front leg and scrubbed repeatedly against the heel of the other, seemingly scratching an itch in this way.

Meiling, especially excited, flapped her fan-like large ears, threw a shower of sand, and let out a high-pitched elephant trumpet.

"Wuu————!!!"

It was like a steam whistle, reaching the hut, its sound still loud and lingering.

The tourists immediately let out excited cheers.

"Haha, they look so happy!"

"Our zoo's environment is truly nice, so spectacular."

Being able to witness the elephant herd splashing water and throwing sand, all their fascinating behaviors, is an incomparable experience.