The herd of 14 wild elephants has moved north again away from their original habitat according to Chinese authorities Monday. They were last seen re-entering Shijie Township in southwest China's Yunnan Province.
The herd moved north between 6 p.m. on Sunday and the same time on Monday. They have been moving back and forth between Yimen and Eshan counties in recent days, creating significant problems for on-site command and coordination of their migration.
According to the headquarters in charge of monitoring the elephants' migration, there are numerous villages along the herd's migratory route, and they are dispersed, making it impossible to safeguard the safety of the herd and local residents.
A male elephant that wandered 16 days ago is currently about 24.6 kilometers (15.3 miles) away in a jungle near Kunming, the provincial capital.
Experts are still working on strategies to guide the elephants' migration, and steps have been made to protect the animals' and local residents' safety.
On Monday, a total of 186 workers were recruited, 4,106 local residents were evacuated and the elephants were given food.
The elephants journeyed 500 kilometers (300 miles) north from their forest habitat in southern Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, arriving in Kunming on Jun. 2.
For more than a month, officials have dispatched police to accompany the herd, cleared highways to ease their passage, and utilized food to distract them from entering highly inhabited areas.
Asian elephants are primarily found in Yunnan and are protected by the Chinese government at the A-level. The province's wild elephant population has increased to over 300, up from 193 in the 1980s, thanks to increased protection efforts.
