Wildlife observers are being trained in southwest China's Yunnan Province to monitor and protect the critically-endangered Asian elephants that roam virgin forests in the western and southern parts of the province. 

The training program, scheduled for Oct. 10-15, is sponsored by MIKE (Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants), an international environmental protection system that protects elephants from ivory poachers.
   
The trainees will be taught the basics of surveying in the wild, the use of research tools, data collection and how to fill out international standard monitoring forms. They are also expected to conduct field studies in Xishuangbanna, said sources with the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve Administration.
   
They said the training is designed to help elephant monitoring professionals gather precise data about the animal's activities inorder to better understand their habitat choices, their ideal ecosystem and the average size of elephant communities.
   
The surveys in remote villages where elephants frequent will also provide information about the animal's temperament and living habits and hopefully minimize harm to human beings, domestic animals and cropland.
   
About 270 of the world's total 40,000 Asian elephants live in China, including 250 in Xishuangbanna, where 23 monitoring stations have been set up.
   
MIKE, a system based on data collection and analysis, set up its four-year monitoring program in China in 2004, covering Xishuangbanna, Simao and Lincang in Yunnan Province. Globally, the system operates in 13 countries inhabited by Asian elephants.
 
(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2005)