A special meadow is to be planted to provide foodstuffs for wild animals in Yunnan Province. The meadow, the first of its kind in the country, will supply sufficient foodstuffs for all the wild animals in the area, which will mean the animals will no longer cause damage to local farmland.
Various plants will be grown in the meadow to provide food for many different animals. The meadow will cover an area of 20 to 27 hectares.
“Wild animals can eat safely here and don’t have to worry about being chased by annoyed farmers,” said a local nature protection official.
Thanks to a hunting ban and an afforestation project, the number of wild animals has increased greatly in the region in recent years. Now, there are nearly 300 wild Asian elephants roaming in the tropical forests of the region.
These giants often cause a great deal of damage by eating and destroying crops, the official said. Last year, the loss totaled 428,000 kg of crops, 700 tons of sugar cane and 1,157 livestock. At the same time, seven people were injured.
(Xinhua 03/06/2001)
