A herd of 42 wild Asian elephants was spotted in Mengla County in southwest China's Yunnan Province recently, shown by footage captured by the local monitoring team.

Drone infrared thermal imaging shows three adult elephants slowly descending from the mountains and making their way towards cornfields near the river. They were joined by 39 other elephants shortly afterwards.

The herd is strolling through Mengban Town in the county at present.

According to local forestry officials, this is the largest recorded number of wild Asian elephants ever observed in Mengban.

In April, another herd of 41 wild Asian elephants appeared near the Shangyong Protection Area in Mengla County.

The local government has organized elephant monitors to track and record the herd's real-time information to ensure the safety of nearby villagers.

(Cover image via video screenshot)