The authorities are tracking 15 wild Asian elephants in southwest China's Yunnan Province as the herd migrates northward. 

As of May 29, the elephants were found entering Hongta District in Yuxi City, following a long journey from the province's southernmost prefecture Xishuangbanna starting from this April. They are currently around 100 kilometers away from the provincial capital, Kunming, and over 400 kilometers away from their original habitat in Xishuangbanna.

The provincial forestry and grassland administration said they would take multiple measures to prevent the herd from migrating further northward and to lead them gradually return to Xishuangbanna or Pu'er.

Monitoring images show that the herd includes six female adult elephants, three male adults, three sub-adults and three cubs.

Local authorities said it is rare for the giant animals to move so far northward from their traditional habitat. They have taken measures to prevent human-elephant conflict as the elephants may well stray into human settlements.

Since 1958, Yunnan has established 11 national or regional-level nature reserves in the tropics, covering a total area of about 510,000 hectares. The reserves protect the Asian elephants, with their population totaling approximately 300. 

(Cover photo via CFP, with input from Xinhua and the Paper.）

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