"Elephant Going North" is based on the March 2020 "Yunnan Wild Elephant Moving North and Returning" event, and uses the creative techniques of animal novels to tell the story of elephants leaving Xishuangbanna for the south from the perspective of the first person "I" (Little Elephant Cloud).
This paper describes the historical vicissitudes and practical difficulties of the Yun family, and vividly describes the original intention of the ethnic group headed by Xanthium sibiricum to leave their hometown and the tortuous experience of migration.
The work not only describes the contradictions within the elephant group, but also focuses on the complex mental journey between the elephant group and human beings from opposition, conflict and misunderstanding to reconciliation and rebuilding trust. Through personification, the author affirms that Elephants Going North is an adventure journey to find homesickness, an ideal journey full of the light of exploration, and an attempt to live in harmony with human beings.
During the trip to the south, a group of elephants in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province trudged more than 400 kilometers and lingered on the border of Kunming, the provincial capital, for several days. On the way, two elephants returned to their original residence, and another baby elephant was born. There are 15 elephants now. This group of elephants set out at the end of last year and became national news when they arrived in Kunming.
The living habits of elephants
Elephants are herbivores, eating plants such as leaves, branches, fruits, bark, grass and roots. Because of its huge size and strong digestion, it needs a lot of food every day. An elephant can consume 150kg of food a day, which is equivalent to 1 ~ 2% of its own weight. Elephants eat for a long time, about 16 hours a day, mainly in the morning, afternoon and evening.
Elephants depend heavily on water. Besides drinking, they also need to take a bath to cool down. Elephants drink about 150 liters of water every day. Elephants may move hundreds or even thousands of meters in search of food, water and minerals. When water is scarce in dry season, they may appear in habitats that they don't like or even degrade.
Female elephants generally live in an elephant group, including adult females and their offspring, excluding adult males, and are led by the oldest females. The matriarch is also called the matriarch. The most basic social unit of elephant group is family group. The family group is as small as two, consisting of females and young elephants, and as large as 45 or more, which may be extended to four generations of related females.