A group of wandering wild elephants have become an overnight Internet focus in China and global. The group first captured the attention of the locals in March 2020. after they suddenly left their home in the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve.
While the original group was made of 16, two of which decided to return home after a week. The rest have continued their journey northward, stopping only for a short break in November 2020 to allow a newly born calf (幼兽) and its mother to rest.
Since leaving the reserve, the elephants have walked over 310 miles. Along the way, they have got into farms for food and water, walked through urban streets, and even paid a visit to a car shop and a retirement home. Thanks to the alarming eye of the government officials no animals or people have been hurt. However, they have destroyed more than $1 million worth.
Researchers are not sure why the elephants decided to leave or where they are headed. While elephants are known to leave their habitats in search of food, this is the longest moving of wild elephants recorded in China. Because of the extreme distance traveled, some doubt that the elephants may be lost. However, other scientists think the elephants were forced to move due to deforestation. Successful protection efforts have almost doubled the elephant population in the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve and the surrounding regions. However, their natural habitat has been continuously reduced to make room for agricultural development.
We’ve seen elephants expanding their range for decades now, as their populations increase, and they search for more food for the growing group, Becky Shu Chen, a scientist at the Zoological Society of London, told The Washington Post.
The wandering elephants’ search for a suitable home has not gone unnoticed by the millions of locals that eagerly follow their daily movements on social media Adam Chang, assigned to deliver food to the elephants, says, “Before this meeting, I just felt curious about animals. Now, I think I would volunteer in animal rights groups to preserve those giant creatures.
【小题1】How many elephants went northward in China?| A．16 | B．14. | C．17 | D．15 |
| A．The calves | B．The officials | C．The elephants | D．The scientists |
| A．They didn’t have enough food | B．They had no sense of direction |
| C．The leader of the group led the wrong way | D．People grew crops to attract the elephants |
| A．Some wild elephants went northward. |
| B．China made great progress in protecting. |
| C．Animal protection and agricultural development are contradictory. |
| D．China’s wandering wild elephant group attracts the world’s attention. |
