AS THE FAMILY of 16 Asian
elephants started moving north, no
one knew where they were heading,
or why. At first, no one thought much
about it. Elephants sometimes stray
beyond the boundaries of Xishuang-
banna National Nature Reserve, in
southwestern China’s Yunnan Prov-
ince, but they always return.
Not this time.
Over the course of 16 months they
crop-raided, mud-bathed, and road-
tripped 300 miles north to the provin-
cial capital of Kunming, a sprawling
city of eight million people. Along
the way they became global celebri-
ties—and presented a conundrum for
government officials. The elephants
were racking up about a half million
dollars in damage, and there was
the ever present risk of an elephant
charging a curious onlooker.
The simple answer would be to
tranquilize the giant mammals and
transport them back to the reserve.
But that would be risky for this
group, especially the three calves.
Instead, officials mobilized an emer-
gency task force to keep everyone,
elephants and humans alike, safe.
Drones tracked the elephants’ every
move. Tons of corn, pineapples, and
bananas were used as bait to lure them
away from towns. Electric fences, road
barriers, and new pathways steered
them toward safer routes. These
measures ultimately involved tens of
thousands of people at a cost equal
to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In a year torn by climate change,
conflict, and COVID-19, some might
argue that going to extremes to keep a
family of elephants safe was wasteful.Bright Spots in a Dark Year:
Successes in preservation showed
a respect for the past, present, and
future of our world.
BY RACHAEL BALE110 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC