当前位置 : 洛杉矶时报增刊
KANGPING - Precious footage captured in Kangping Township in Jiangcheng County of southwest China's Yunnan Province, showed 29 Asian elephants foraging and playing.
This region is home to over 50 Asian elephants, living in small groups or as individuals.
A heartwarming scene unfolded in a cornfield where a baby Asian elephant was seen foraging, encircled by its family.
"The monitoring clips reveal an increase in the number of baby Asian elephants in Jiangcheng County, with eight calves recorded. These young elephants are amusing, they learn behaviors like dusting themselves to ward off mosquitoes by imitating the adults," said Wang Zhaofu, monitor of Asian elephant at forest fire brigade in Pu'er city.
Not far away, another elephant family was spotted enjoying time in the water.
"Over 10 Asian elephants were observed showering in the river, including a calf born on February 27. They have been frequenting the river for baths recently due to the hot weather," said Diao Faxing, Asian Elephant monitor at Jiangcheng County.
After their river bath, the family and the calf indulged in a mud bath, with the little one closely imitating the adults.
"Asian elephants enjoy mud baths to cool down, deter mosquitoes, and seek minerals. During their swims or baths, they often dip their trunks into the water, blowing bubbles as they search for salt or minerals," said Diao.
The Asian elephant, a key component of the rainforest ecosystem, enjoys top-tier national protection status in China where it primarily resides in Yunnan Province.