Guo Yanli, 26, a graduate student with the Beijing Normal
University's Life Sciences Institute, has had a lifelong
fascination with elephants. In September 2003, she discussed the
possibility of conducting field research with her tutor. However,
there were major obstacles that she first had to clear to even get
started. First of all, it is uncommon in China for women to take on
field research, particularly solo projects. Further, little has
been done to date in terms of wild Asian elephant research in
China. As a result, Guo realized that she had not very much prior
information to start with. But, there was a silver lining. Guo got
to know about a joint Asian elephant research project between the
International
Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the Xishuangbanna Wildlife
Reserve and the Beijing Normal University's Life Sciences
Institute, Guo’s alma mater. The project had only just been
launched and Guo grabbed the opportunity to be one of its pilot
participants. Her sponsors agreed on her choice of conducting
on-site research in Wild Elephant Valley, located in the Mengyang
Nature Reserve in Yunnan
Province.
Wild Elephant Valley is over 100 kilometers away
from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. Many have braved the arduous
journey to the Valley in the hope of catching a glimpse of the
elusive wild Asian elephant. Unfortunately for most, the animal
remains something only to be read about in nature magazines.
?
When she arrived in the Valley, Guo took the time
to familiarize herself with what was to be her home for the next 12
months. After some careful thought and consideration, she decided
on a tree-house situated on land belonging to the Holiday Village
resort. She knew that it would be the perfect spot from which to
observe the magnificent beasts. Refusing her offer to pay rental on
the tree-house, the owner of the resort said: “Harsh living
conditions here and the loneliness will get to you. My guess is
you’ll run back to the city in less than a month.”
Guo accepted the challenge.
Surviving loneliness
Guo realized in no time that living conditions in
the Valley are indeed very harsh, not least of all because she
lives in a tree-house. Her five-square-meter “home”, built high in
the tree, keeps her safe from random attacks by wild elephants, but
it is so tiny that it looks like a birds’ nest from a distance.
But, quite apart from the physical hardships of
living in a small space in a tree, there is also the loneliness to
contend with. With no access to television, the Internet or radio,
Guo is literally cut off from the outside world. Needless to say,
Guo has no neighbors, and the eerily peaceful and quiet nights in
the primeval forest are particularly difficult to bear.
In spite of this, Guo’s indomitable spirit has
carried her through and she soon grew accustomed to her new
surroundings.
One way of fighting the loneliness is for Guo to
call her boyfriend in Beijing every day. In order to save research
costs, she had not equipped her laptop with a mobile Internet
facility. She therefore has no other choice but to call him using
her mobile phone.
Another way in which Guo deals with the loneliness
and solitude is speaking with travelers about her pet subject, the
wild elephants. She is always happy to answer their questions about
the beautiful animals.
But there was one day when Guo, having grown a
little weary of reciting the same facts to curious travelers, asked
some questions of her own, one of which was: “What’s going on in
the outside world?” When she was informed of Saddam Hussein’s
capture, she exclaimed: “That’s the biggest piece of news I’ve
heard all year! Possibly the only piece of news!”
Walking with elephants
Despite its name, it is rare that people actually
get to see wild elephants in Wild Elephant Valley. Sightings, if
any, are seasonal. Yet, many continue to trek through the Valley in
the hope of a sighting. More often than not, these intrepid
travelers leave the Valley disappointed. In this context, Guo was
extremely lucky to have actually seen these magnificent beasts
shortly after her arrival in the Valley.
September 19, 2003 is a day that is etched in Guo’s
memory. It was the day that she first laid eyes on the wild
elephants that she had traveled so far to be with. The day was made
extra “special” by her “battle” with leeches that left her bleeding
along the elephant trail.
?
In a bid to observe the elephants as much as she
can, Guo rarely gets a good night’s sleep; an occupational hazard,
so to speak. This is because groups of elephants often make an
appearance only after dark, and into the wee hours of the morning.
She has become so finely tuned to the elephants and their movements
that the slightest sound, such as an elephant stepping into a pool
of water under her tree-house, wakes her instantly.
More significant is the fact that the elephants
have grown accustomed to having Guo around. They are now familiar
with her scent and allow her to get as close to them as eight
meters. This familiarity and “bond” with the elephants fill Guo
with pride. This is because the recommended distance to keep from a
wild elephant is 15 meters.
Guo’s painstaking efforts have paid off. Over the
last 12 months, Guo has seen and identified some 110 individuals,
witnessed the births of four calves, and observed behavioral
patterns relating to, for example, courtship. More important, she
has collected critical information on procreation and gestation;
information indicating that population growth for the wild Asian
elephant of Yunnan is stable for now.
Adjusting to life in the city
Guo will return to Beijing probably in this week,
but her homecoming is something that she views with some
apprehension. When she last visited Beijing earlier this year
during Spring Festival, having taken a short break from her
research, she remembers not daring to venture out of her home for
the entire month. She said: “Because I had been in the forest for
so long, I just couldn’t handle the dust and the pollution and the
traffic. I like life in the forest; it’s quiet and clean, and I’m
close to nature.”
Guo added: “But I hope that it won’t take me too
long to readjust. I hope the city will accept me again.”
(China.org.cn by Zhang Tingting, October 12,
2004)
