elephants.Photo: CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/Shutterstock
A herd of 15 wild elephants that escaped a nature reserve in China last year has now trekked over 300 miles along highways and fields and has left major destruction in its path.
The group of Asian elephants departed from a nature reserve in Xishuangbanna last year and traveled through the southwestern province of Yunnan to Yuxi, a city of about 2.6 million people,CNN,the Associated Press,andNBC Newsreported, all citing the Chinese news agency Xinhua.
As of Wednesday, the elephants are about 12 miles away from Kunming, a city of around 7 million people, according to reports.
Reports state that the herd is connected to 412 separate incidents of damage along its 300-mile journey. The herd has reportedly caused about 6.8 million yuan ($1.1 million) in damage to farmlands.
elephant herd.CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/Shutterstock
Last week, residents of Eshan were told to stay indoors while the elephants roamed the streets of the town for six hours, CNN reported.
In total, over 360 people, 76 police vehicles, and nine drones have been mobilized to track the elephants, per reports.
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Cen Mingyong, an Asian elephant expert, told Xinhua that the incident is the longest-distance migration of wild elephants ever recorded in China. He said it was likely that the herd’s leader “lacks experience and led the whole group astray,” the AP reported.
source: people.com
