China's migrating elephant herd lingers in township

KUNMING -- The herd of wandering Asian elephants in southwest China has lingered in a particular spot in Dalongtan township under the city of Yuxi, in Yunnan province, authorities said Sunday.

The herd moved back and forth in an area about 280 meters in diameter in Dalongtan between 6 pm Saturday and 6 pm Sunday, according to the headquarters in charge of monitoring their migration.

A male elephant, which strayed 15 days ago, is now about 24.3 km away from the herd.

All 15 elephants are safe and sound, according to the headquarters.

Experts are continuing to work on plans to guide the elephants' migration, and precaution measures have been taken to ensure the safety of both the animals and local residents. One tonne of food was provided to the elephants on Sunday.

The elephants traveled about 500 km north from their forest home in southern Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture before reaching Kunming, the provincial capital, on June 2.

For over a month, authorities have sent police to escort the herd, evacuated roads to facilitate their passage, and used food to distract them from entering densely populated areas.

Asian elephants are primarily found in Yunnan and are under A-level state protection in China. Thanks to enhanced protection efforts, the wild elephant population in the province grew to about 300, up from 193 in the 1980s.