Asian elephant herd on move in Yunnan province

A herd of 15 Asian elephants hasn’t stopped their journey from their habitat in Mengyangzi National Nature Reserve in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province.

They were reportedly found on Monday entering Eshan county, only 120 kilometers away from the capital city of Kunming.

After receiving an invitation from the provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau, a team including 10 firefighters from the provincial Forest Fire Brigade arrived at a temporary headquarters in the county on Thursday to assist in the work of searching for the elephants.

At 4 pm on Thursday, drone surveillance showed that the elephants were seeking food around Dafen Mountain.

Research workers tried to guide the elephants by feeding them and blocking peripheral roads with large vehicles to prevent the animals from entering the urban area of the county and avoid any damage to people's lives and property.

The local government has urged relevant departments to protect the public and prepare to evacuate the residents.

The elephants left their habitat in December to visit Mojiang county, and in April they traveled tens of kilometers from Mojiang to Yuanjiang county.