Current Status of Asian Elephants in China

Asian elephants are only found in a very small area of southern China with a total number of individuals less than 200. They occur in bamboobroadleaf mixed forests along gullies and rivers, at altitudes under 1000 m. Current elephant habitat is highly fragmented and consists of isolated patches situated among extensive stretches of tea and rubber plantations, and croplands. Habitat loss and poaching were once major threats to elephants in China, but since the 1980s, effective conservation measures have been adopted by the Chinese government to protect elephants by establishing nature reserves and banning illegal hunting (Zhang et al. 2006). Asian elephants are listed as a class I protected wildlife species under the Wildlife Protection Law (Zhang 2007).