Animal Contact with Elephants: Wild Elephant Valley of Xishuangbanna

#animalcontact Wild Elephant Valley is located about 50 kilometers north of Jinghong City in Yunnan Province in Xishuanbanna County and covers an area of about 370 hectares. The pristine jungle, which is actually a nature reserve, has become home to more than two hundred wild elephants. In addition to elephants, wild oxen, green peacocks and monkeys and many other unique birds and animals live in this hilly valley with tropical forests. The Lancang River is a peculiar Danube of Asia; it originates from the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, flows through Yunnan, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and flows into the South China Sea. Translated from Thai, its name literally means "River with a million elephants." Elephants like to eat bamboo and bananas, in search of food they reached the valley of the Lancang River and settled here. The tigers were afraid to attack powerful giants and began to avoid the Dai villages. Elephants have long lived in the southern part of Yunnan Province. According to the stories of local residents, wild elephants quite often visited agricultural lands in search of food and were treated to the fruits of peasant labor. In 1990, the district administration decided to create a nature reserve called the Valley of Wild Elephants. For those who want to observe these animals in natural conditions, hanging paths have been built in the reserve. Right above the river, where elephants come to drink, small houses are built on trees where you can stay overnight and wait for the animals to appear. Here they look for food, swim, walk and play in the water. In addition, sitting on the terrace of such a house, you can enjoy the view of the rainforest and watch various birds, of which there are a lot. The elephant trail can also be reached by funicular, which offers magnificent views, or on foot, climbing the mountain. For safety reasons, it is strictly forbidden to move around the reserve without a local guide. The Wild Elephant Valley is home to China's first pet elephant school, where you can watch fascinating performances, as well as a butterfly farm and a tropical bird park. China's first Asian Elephant Museum also operates here, its creation is a response to public concern that these animals are on the verge of extinction.