Migrating elephant herd in China move slightly northeast

Beijing, June 28

The herd of 14 wandering wild Asian elephants in China’s Yunnan province headed about 1.9 km northeast after five consecutive days of southward migration, authorities said.

From 5 p.m. on June 26 to the same time the following day, the herd headed northeast by a roundabout route and largely remained in the forest area of Tadian township under Yuxi city, the headquarters in charge of monitoring the elephants’ migration said on Sunday.

A male elephant, which strayed 22 days ago, is now 53 km away from the herd in the Hongta district of Yuxi city, reports Xinhua news agency.

The tuskers have now travelled about 500 km north from their forest home in southern Yunnan’s Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, reaching the provincial capital Kunming on June 2.

The back-and-forth movement of the elephants has posed challenges for on-site command and coordination of their migration.

Authorities have called on local townships to strengthen coordination to clear the path for elephants heading back to the south.

Precautions have been in place to ensure the safety of both the animals and residents for over a month.

On Sunday, 249 people were mobilised, 864 residents evacuated, and 150 kg of food was provided to the elephants.

Asian elephants are primarily found in Yunnan and are under A-level state protection in China. IANS