Wandering elephant herd enters Yunnan capital
Print Edition
A herd of 15 wild Asian elephants has entered the outskirts of the major southwestern Chinese city of Kunming, Yunnan Province, where and authorities rushed to protect both the animals and people.
The elephants traveled approximately 500km from their forest home in Yunnan’s Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture before reaching Jinning District in Kunming, the provincial capital, at 9:55 pm on Wednesday.
As of early Thursday, no casualties have been reported, according to a local headquarters set up to ensure the safety of the elephant migration.
The provincial forestry and grassland bureau has transferred teams responsible for drone monitoring and emergency handling as well as Asian elephant experts. The teams will forecast the migration route and guide locals to take precautions.
Twelve drones have been deployed to monitor the herd around the clock. Construction trucks have been sent to block roads to local villages, and the evacuation of villagers has been organized.
Local authorities have also used food to distract the elephants from entering densely populated areas.
It’s not clear why the 15 elephants made their long trek from a nature reserve. Authorities have urged people in the area to stay indoors and are blocking roads with construction equipment while seeking to lure the animals away with food.
One city along their route, Yuxi, deployed hundreds of trucks along a road to discourage the herd from approaching, the Beijing News reported. Drivers ate and slept in the vehicles for days, even as they heard the elephants moving about after dark, the newspaper said in a video clip posted online.
The government of the semi-rural district issued a notice urging residents not to leave corn or other food out in their yards that might attract the animals and to avoid contact with them.
It was “forbidden to surround and gawk at the elephants” or to disturb them by using firecrackers or other materials, the notice said.
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