On August 12, World Elephant Day, Yili Group and the China Green Foundation announced that they will work together to restore the habitat of Asian elephants. The two partners will support the development of wetlands and salt mud ponds and the scientific cultivation of plants that elephants like to eat, restoring a habitat spanning 50,000 square meters.
Beginning in March 2020, a herd of wild Asian elephants started wandering northwards from Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in China’s Yunnan province and quickly made international headlines. Rather than creating conflicts between the elephants and people, this long march has been warmly welcomed and supported by the residents along the route as well as by the wider public. After an epic 17-month journey, the elephants were recently guided across the Yuanjiang river, the most challenging obstacle on their southward journey, and a path was made for them to safely return to their nature reserve.
Yili’s new endeavor is mainly aimed at addressing the most urgent current issues in protecting Asian elephants, an endangered species listed on the IUCN Red List and one of the leading protected wild animals in China.
In recent years, as China continues to strengthen its protection of Asian elephants and their habitats, the number of wild Asian elephants in China has gradually grown from about 150 to 300. However, managing the rising number of Asian elephants and their expanding habitat range now requires new solutions. Some elephants are currently faced with a scarcity of the low shrubs and herbs that they prefer to eat. When the food supply dwindles, they will then leave the forests and wander into villages in order to forage outside the reserve. In addition, new problems such as rapidly declining acreage and scattering habitats are urgently in need of being addressed. Unless such challenges are resolved, the issue of wandering elephants will continue to reoccur.
To protect Asian elephants as well as other wildlife, Yili, as the first Chinese company to sign the United Nations’ Commitment Letter of Enterprises on Biodiversity, has made significant efforts aimed at strengthening biodiversity conservation. To protect forests inhabited by wildlife, Yili’s Satine milk uses FSC-certified packages and introduces organic lids partly sourced from sugarcane, a recyclable and renewable resource. In May 2020, Yili and the Embassy of China in Kenya, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Kenya Wildlife Service, jointly launched an online public donation event for Kenya wildlife protection which led to 4.56 million kenya shilling（KES）worth of materials being donated to Nairobi National Park to help protect African wildlife.
Climate change and rampant ivory poaching pose dire threats to the survival of elephants. This year marks the 10thanniversary for World Elephant Day, an international annual event dedicated to supporting the preservation and protection of the world’s elephants.
About Yili Group
Yili ranks among the Global Dairy Top 5 and has sustained an undisputable position of No. 1 in Asia for seven successive years. Yili is also China’s largest dairy producer, offering the largest number of products. Yili’s product lines of liquid milk, ice cream, milk powder, and yogurt are scientifically designed and develop in a well-balanced way, and Yili has several dominant products in all market segments. Thanks to its exceptional product quality, leading service capabilities and comprehensive capacity for sustainable development, Yili is well-respected and received among global event organisers, national and local governments and the public. Yili was selected to serve as the exclusive supplier of dairy products and services at major international events, including the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the Expo 2010 Shanghai China, the G20 2016 China, the 2019 7th CISM Military World Games, and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Yili has also become a partner of the World Economic Forum, the Boao Forum for Asia, and the World Internet Conference.
