Four elephants who were previously addicted to heroin-laced bananas are now off the drug after being rescued by Chinese conservationists, reports stated on Wednesday.

Heroin smugglers used the animals to transport large quantities of drugs between China and Myanmar.

They forced the gentle giants to obey by getting them addicted with drug-laced bananas, feeding them frequently until they got hooked.

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The elephants became restless and aggressive when deprived of the bananas spiked with heroin, animal keepers at the Wild Elephant Valley in Yunnan, China stated.

Animal rescuers had to give each of the four elephants a lengthy course of a cold turkey regime-replacing heroin with methadone, and gradually decrease the dosage in order to completely wean them off the drugs.

It took a year before authorities were able to assure the public that the elephants were heroin-free and not addicted to the drug anymore.

The local Asian elephant breeding center's Chen Jiming told reporters that the elephants have progressed so well that they have been released into the wild and reintegrated into elephant society. Reportedly, some of the elephants have even been able to begin building family ties with their co-species.

In a report published by Express UK, Chen voiced his insight on increasing punishments for similar acts, citing that the amplified penalty for elephant hunters has been very effective.

In China, hunting elephants is now a crime punishable by death - a law which has helped to vastly decrease the number of poachers. However, the country hasn't yet seen an increase in penalties for smugglers who turn elephants into drug addicts for their own malignant purposes.

This is not the only instance authorities have seen of elephant abuse through drug dependence in order for the behemoth animals to be used for smuggling.  

In 2005, the first incident of drug-carrying elephants was reported and the cold turkey method was used to help wean the creatures off of the drug. 

Tagsdrug smuggling china, heroin addicted elephants, drug addicted elephants, drug free elephants