China has only around 300 wild Asian elephants, accounting for less than one percent of the total number in the world.

 

The wild Asian elephant, a national key protected animal, lives only in the southwestern province of Yunnan.

 

During recent years, the number of this precious species has dropped dramatically due to rampant hunting.

 

To protect the Asian elephant, the Yunnan local government plans to work together with adjacent countries, such as Laos and Burma, to curb this hunting.

 

Asian elephants range over an extensive area across India and Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and Laos. But their number is less than 50,000.

 

(CRI January 4, 2006)