A'Bao doing well after return to nature

China has made greater efforts to reintroduce rescued Asian elephants back into the wild in recent years. One rescued Asian elephant recently reintroduced back into the wild in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, has shown signs of successfully integrating into a wild elephant herd, a milestone achievement of this reintroduction experiment.

A male wild Asian elephant named A'Bao, who was rescued in the city of Pu'er in Yunnan in 2018, was successfully released back into its habitat earlier this year after rehabilitation, Chen Fei, director of the Asian Elephant Research Center of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said in September.

On the evening of Sept 5, A'Bao, wearing a collar that sends positioning data, was spotted drinking water and taking a bath together with 34 other wild elephants in Wild Elephant Valley located in Xishuangbanna, according to the Asian Elephant Protection and Management Center.

"The fact that A'Bao has been moving about with other wild elephants indicates that he has gradually adapted to the wilderness and integrated into the wild elephant herd," Chen said. "The case is a milestone achievement of this reintroduction experiment. It also paves the way for the future reintroduction of other individual elephants into the wild."

In 2018, the then 12-year-old A'Bao became estranged from his herd and had to be rescued. Researchers in July 2022 launched the pilot project of returning the rescued Asian elephant to nature.

Earlier this year, A'Bao was released into the wild following years of meticulous training and preparation.

To prepare A'Bao, the center in Xishuangbanna crafted a meticulous dietary and training plan. He was then solely trained in the wilderness zone from April 14 until May 17 when it was finally released into the wild.

"Our ultimate hope is for A'Bao to successfully integrate into a wild elephant herd and have offspring of his own," Chen said.

Researchers will continue to closely monitor A'Bao, and based on his case study they will engineer a systematic, scientific and replicable routine for the reintroduction of Asian elephants back into the wild, he added.