
KUNMING, July 21 -- A villager in southwest China's Yunnan Province was detained for killing a pregnant wild Asian elephant that intruded into his home, the local government said Tuesday.
The villager, surnamed Wang, allegedly opened fire on a group of intruding wild elephants with a homemade gun early on Sunday, the press office of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture said in a statement.
One female elephant was later found dead in Wang's fish pond, with a bullet in its head. It was carrying a male calf and was about to give birth soon, the document said.
Wang told police he had yelled hoping to scare the elephants away, but of no avail.
The document did not say what penalties Wang might face.
Wild Asian elephants are an endangered species under protection by the Chinese government. About 250 to 300 are roaming in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna, Puer and Lincang.
But wild elephants often intrude villages, damage crops and even attack humans. This year alone, three people died after being attacked by wild elephants, and several others were injured, the local forestry department said.
Soldiers serving at Liaoning aircraft carrier
Bikini beauties lifeguards in river rafting place
PLA soldiers eat raw snake meat in harsh training
Doctors use 3D-printed skull to save girl
Kiss contest held in Nanning, SW China
Yunnan-Myanmar Road: The past and present
Campus belle of Xiamen University gets popular online
Who says moms cannot be trendy and hot?
Eight fruits that defend men's health
Ling’s fall caused by wild ambition, desire
6 rare then-and-now photos of WWII China
Show of force: 7 military off-road vehicle monsters
Clique bait: The systematic takedown of Ling Jihua’s circleDay|Week