China's wandering elephants are on the move again, traveling southwest, while a male who broke away from the herd is still keeping his distance.
More than a year ago, the herd left a wildlife reserve in Yunnan province's southwest and walked 500 kilometers (300 miles) north to the suburbs of Kunming, the provincial capital.
While word of their movement has traveled throughout China and gone popular online, with many expressing astonishment and fascination, scientists have warned that this rare journey could signify the inevitable and destructive implications of human encroachment on the elephants' natural habitat.
Outsiders first became aware of the herd in March 2020, when they left their home in the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve in southwest Yunnan, near the border with Myanmar and Laos. According to the state news agency Xinhua News Agency, a calf was born in November, and two elephants separated from the rest in April 2021.
Officials and scientists are baffled as to why the herd is migrating.
Elephants can travel long distances if there isn't enough habitat to suit their needs, according to Tammie Matson, zoologist and research scholar at the University of Rwanda and director of Matson and Ridley Safaris.
"Some may be driven to move away to get access to these resources to avoid competition," Matson said.
According to state media reports, they were found Saturday in Shijie township in the city of Yuxi, more than 8 kilometers (5 miles) southwest of the Kunming suburb where they had arrived last week. The lone male was still on the outskirts of Kunming, 16 kilometers (10 miles) away.
Authorities hope to guide them back to their original habitat in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture southwest of Kunming, so the direction of their migration could be a strong indicator.
All of the animals have been reported to be healthy, and no one has been wounded as a result of their encounters. Officials have issued strict instructions not to stare at them or attempt to chase them away with firecrackers or other means.
Asian elephants receive China's highest level of species protection.
