Rescued wild elephant calf in SW China makes good recovery

Chen Jiming plays with an elephant calf at the Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Center in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

KUNMING, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Following over three months of treatment and rehabilitation, an injured male wild elephant calf is showing strong signs of recovery after being rescued by an elephant breeding and rescue center in southwest China's Yunnan Province. The elephant has improved to the point where it is able to walk normally again.

The Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Center said the injured calf was found in August in Dadugang Township, Jinghong City. Drone monitoring identified a visible scar on the calf's right hind leg, causing it to limp while walking.

Staffers rushed to the scene and provided the young elephant with glucose and milk powder the following day. They also cleaned and treated the wound on its leg before transferring it to the nearby village for recovery and rest, according to Wang Bin, director of the Asian elephant protection and management center in Xishuangbanna.

"We attempted to reintegrate the injured calf into its herd, but by the following day, the herd still had not accepted it," said Wang, adding that, in order to prevent the calf's condition from deteriorating further due to being left alone in the wild, they ultimately decided to transport it to the rescue center for care and rehabilitation.

When the calf first arrived at the rescue center, it stood at just 90 cm tall and weighed about 100 kg. To date, its height has increased to 130 cm, and it weighs over 300 kg.

"In addition to daily health monitoring and feeding, we take the calf out for training in the wild every day to maintain its survival skills," said Mo Shiyu, a staffer at the rescue center.

The Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Center is the only research base in China focused on the rescue, care and breeding of Asian elephants.

Since its establishment in 2009, the center has successfully rescued and rehabilitated 25 wild Asian elephants, which are a species under first-class national protection in China.

Mo Shiyu (R) and Chen Jiming take an elephant calf to the wild for training in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Mo Shiyu takes an elephant calf to the wild for training in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

An elephant calf plays in the wild in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Chen Jiming (L) and Mo Shiyu give an elephant calf a physical examination at the Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Center in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

An elephant calf plays in the wild in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Mo Shiyu nurses an elephant calf at the Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Center in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Mo Shiyu helps an elephant calf to get up from the ground in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, on Dec. 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Chen Jiming takes an elephant calf to the wild for training in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

An elephant calf rests on the ground in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 8, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)