‘Smart’ Asian elephant detects 2.8 kg opium in SW China’s Yunnan

An Asian elephant detected a 2.8-kilogram consignment of opium in Mengman township, Southwest China's Yunnan Province during a walk in the region. The case is under investigation by the local police, according to a People's Daily report on Tuesday.

Border police of Mengman township, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture received a report recently that four wild Asian elephants were roaming around a village in the town. When the police arrived at the site, they found that one of the elephants stopped and carefully sniffed in an area of grass, and then used its trunk to toss a backpack out of the grass, while also making some "calls."

The police immediately checked the backpack and found the opium. The case is currently under further investigation.

The story triggered wide discussion among Chinese netizens, with the topic gaining more than 190 million clicks as of Tuesday morning on Chinese-twitter like Sina Weibo. Many netizens praised the elephant with its delicate sense of smell and said that it should be awarded with more fruits like bananas. Some called for more protection for "smart" elephants, mankind's "good friend."