In Hunan’s Yueyang on June 24th, Dongting Lake swelled due to heavy rainfall, leading to the flooding of the habitat of a large number of elks. In order to escape the floodwaters, many elks swam over two kilometers and ran ashore to seek refuge.
Multiple videos showed the rising water level of Dongting Lake, with most of the lake beaches submerged. Some elks had their bodies submerged in the water, constantly swimming towards the shore. Others had already made it to land, with a group of elks seen running on the streets.
On June 24th, Mr. Luo, the video shooter, shared with mainland China’s “Economic Vision Live” that the incident occurred around 6 a.m. on the 24th. While taking a stroll near Dongting Lake, he heard animal cries and upon approaching, he saw a group of elks on the shore.
Mr. Luo mentioned that the oasis in the lake is the habitat of elks, but due to continuous heavy rain, the water level of Dongting Lake rose, causing the elks’ habitat to be submerged. Elks in groups swam over from the water, covering a distance of over two kilometers. Mr. Luo estimated seeing sixty to seventy elks. After the elks reached the shore, several residents herded them to another location for supervision, and more elks were spotted ashore along the lake.
He expressed that the elks might have been frightened, with about forty to fifty elks running onto the streets. “Most of them are calves, with the leading elk weighing around four to five hundred pounds and the smaller ones weighing over a hundred pounds. We dare not approach, fearing that the elks might attack.”
The on-duty staff of the Yueyang County government mentioned that the rain caused the lake water to rise rapidly, with elks starting to come ashore since the night of the 23rd.
Officials from the Hunan Dongting Lake Nature Reserve Management Office mentioned that elks usually move in areas without people and have a sense of avoiding humans. However, due to the rising water, they had no choice but to search for food. They also mentioned similar incidents in the past when elk habitats were flooded, leading to elks coming ashore.
A relevant official from the Forestry Bureau of Yueyang County stated that once the water recedes, they will guide the deer herd back to their habitat.
It is reported that in 1998 during the massive flooding of the Yangtze River, some elks from the national nature reserve in Shishou, Hubei, fled the reserve. Twenty-six elks crossed the Yangtze River to reach the shores of Dongting Lake – Sanhe Marsh. Another ten elks arrived at the Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve, forming the wild elk population of the East Dongting Lake Nature Reserve.
In recent years, the elk population in Dongting Lake has continued to increase. As of now, monitoring data shows that the elk population has reached 289.