Beijing: Authorities in China's Yunnan province have evacuated more than 150,000 residents to avoid coming in contact with the migrating elephant herd, a local official said. The herd of 14 wild Asian elephants is approaching their traditional habitat after roaming around for nearly a year and half, reports Xinhua news agency.
At about 8 p.m. on Sunday, the herd crossed the Yuanjiang River with artificial guidance and has continued to head south, said Wan Yong, who heads the headquarters in charge of monitoring the migrating elephants, at a press conference on Monday night.
Wan said over 25,000 police officers and staff were dispatched, and a large number of vehicles and drones were deployed to monitor and guide the migrating elephants. Some 180 tonnes of food have been provided to the elephants during their migration.
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Wan said the elephants are in stable condition. It has been around 17 months since the herd left their original habitat in a nature reserve in southern Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. Wild Asian elephant are under A-level state protection in China. Due to stronger environmental and wildlife protection efforts, its population in the country has grown to about 300, mostly scattered in Yunnan.
IANS
