Rethinking the Wild in Human-Elephant Conflicts

This paper focused on a particular event that unfolded in 2021, both online and in several villages in Xishuangbanna and Pu'er, where migrating wild elephants and humans came into contact and conflict. In examining the varied impacts of this event on elephants, villagers, Chinese netizens, and even plant species, I reconsidered the notion of "wild" for all participants involved. I argued that "wildness" is not a fixed characteristic of animals themselves, but rather an ambiguous and, in some ways, paradoxical concept—simultaneously an idea of nature without/untouched by humans, a state that is co-created by humans and animals, and a form of multispecies cooperation.