China's migrating elephants keep moving southwest

KUNMING -- The herd of 14 wild Asian elephants roaming Southwest China's Yunnan province has continued heading southwest since July 21, local authorities said Tuesday.

The elephants entered Yuanjiang county in the city of Yuxi early Tuesday morning, according to the headquarters in charge of monitoring their migration.

The elephants are in good conditions and pose no threats to humans, said the headquarters.

The animals have moved 63 km in a southwesterly direction since Wednesday, the headquarters said.

Authorities have been dispatching emergency and police personnel to ensure the safety of local residents as well as the animals. Drones are also used to monitor the elephants' movements.

About 14.4 tonnes of food has been fed to the elephants since July 22.

Early this month, a male elephant that strayed from the herd in early June was captured and sent back to its forest home in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture in southern Yunnan.

The herd of 15 wandering wild Asian elephants traveled about 500 km north from their home in Xishuangbanna before reaching the provincial capital Kunming on June 2.