An American tourist was seriously injured after he was
apparently attacked by wild Asian elephants roaming in a nature
reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Thursday, officials
confirmed on Sunday.
Photo taken on Jan. 26
shows this group of elephants that launched an offensive to the
American tourist are seen in the "Wild Elephant Valley" in the Dai
Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna, southwest China's Yunnan
Province. An American tourist was seriously injured after he was
apparently attacked by wild Asian elephants roaming in the nature
reserve on Thursday. He was under intensive care at the central
hospital of Xishuangbanna and was out of danger according to the
foreign affairs office of the province.
Jeremy Allen McGill, who teaches English at Huazhong
Agricultural University in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and
arrived in Xishuangbanna for sightseeing on Wednesday, was under
intensive care at the central hospital in the Dai Autonomous
Prefecture of Xishuangbanna, the foreign affairs office in
Xishuangbanna said.
McGill was found lying unconsciously on the ground at the "Wild
Elephant Valley", a nature reserve 50 km from the nearest city of
Jinghong, at 7 PM on Thursday, said Li Ling, a security guard.
"He was seriously wounded in the belly, apparently by
elephants," said Li, who was patrolling the area. "Three elephants
were roaming within 20 meters from where he was."
McGill received several operations on Thursday night. Doctors
said he was also injured in the lungs and had several fractured
ribs.
Officials from the Huazhong Agricultural University, who arrived
in Yunnan on Friday, said they were trying to get in touch with
McGill's family.
The "Wild Elephant Valley" is a 370-hectare reserve featuring
tropical forests, wild birds and animals. It has at least 30 wild
elephants and was named one of China's 50 most recommended
destinations for foreign tourists in 2006.
(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2008)
