Herd of wild elephants approaching major Chinese city
June 2, 2021 / 7:42 AM / CBS/AP
Beijing A herd of 15 wild elephants that walked 300 miles from a nature reserve in China s mountain southwest were approaching the major city of Kunming on Wednesday as authorities rushed to try to keep them out of populated areas, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Chinese wildlife authorities say they don t know why the herd left a nature reserve last year near the city of Pu er, a region known for tea cultivation. The Reuters news agency reports Xinhua said a possible factor is a drop in the amount of edible plants in forest habitats.
A herd of 15 wild elephants has wandered 500km from a nature reserve in southwestern China, leaving a trail of destruction, damaged forests and ruined crops in its wake. Local authorities said the elephants left Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve in Yunnan province last year and have passed through several counties. They have strayed into villages and in some cases clashed with humans, China’s state media reported, though no casualties have.
Thieving herd of elephants cause havoc roaming across China
By The Washington Post
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No one knows where they are going or why. Since last March, a family of wild elephants in south-west China has trekked more than 482 km, travelling north through fields, highways, villages and towns.
They have stolen crops, rolled around in villagers courtyards looking for food, and broken into a car dealership where they drank buckets of water and left muddy footprints.
The herd has been labelled The Northbound Wild Elephant Eating and Walking Tour. In one incident, two young elephants reportedly raided a villager s stores of corn liquor and later appeared to pass out in a field.