July 09, 2021
Wild Asian elephants lie on the ground and rest in Jinning district of Kunming, Yunnan province, China, on June 7, 2021.
Reuters
A runaway elephant that was part of a herd trekking 500km north in the past few months has been captured and returned to its original habitat in Mengyangzi Nature Reserve, southern Yunnan province.
The herd of 15 – originally 17 – elephants left their home months ago in a search of new habitat and entered the outskirts of the provincial capital Kunming last month. On June 6, one elephant left the herd, while others gradually headed back south.
The elephant has travelled more than 190km on its own for the last 32 days, relying on food prepared by local governments or going into villagers’ homes to feast, an official notice from the Yunnan provincial government said on Wednesday night.