A ruck of Asiatic elephants has embarked on a mammoth journey across China over the past year and a spot — but no one ’s quite sure why .
Since March 2020 , a herd of 15 wild Asiatic elephants has marched or so 500 kilometers ( 310 mile ) northward from their woods home in Yunnan ’s Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture , Taiwanese country intelligence agencyXinhuareports . It ’s unclear where or when the journeying will end .
There are around 300 idle elephant in China , primarily in the south of Yunnan responsibility , but this is the furthest any wild elephants have traveled from the region . One male had antecedently broken free from the herd and is now 12 kilometers ( over 7 miles ) forth in a timber in Anning , meaning the sizing of the ruck has diminished to 14 soul .
investigator have described the migration as “ unprecedented ” in China . It ’s speculated that a quest for intellectual nourishment and territory is driving their movements , but some consider the herd has become lose on their journey .
“ They are in a state of getting turn a loss , ” Becky Shu Chen , a conservationist at the Zoological Society of London who study Asian elephant , toldVICE World News . “ They also do n’t get it on where they are going . They are just maneuver toward relatively open areas that have food for them . ”
On June 9 , the trunked travelers were spot have a quick nap just outside the city of Yuxi .
The elephants have captured the warmness of many people onChinese societal culture medium , blissfully incognizant of their 15 minutes of renown . However , not everyone has welcome the travelers ; the elephant have been raiding local farmlands and even managed to part into a distiller ’s stock of John Barleycorn , causing one of them toreportedlyfall behind from the rest of the group due to drunkenly oversleeping . According toXinhua , the ruck has been involved in 412 cases of “ wreaking havoc ” and damaged 56 hectare of tilth , causing at least 6.8 million Yuan dynasty ( $ 1.07 million ) in damages so far .
Keeping cart track of this lumbering crew is no little feat . To monitor their movements and guide their migration away from built - up areas , China has deploy roadblock , 14 aerial drones , 510 citizenry , and over 110 vehicle .
Last week , a local emergency delivery team placed corn , pineapple , and other elephant - friendly food for thought on the route the wild elephants were taking in a bid to lure them into the deep woods , aside from an urban field . The eventattracted the attentionof a fistful of renown - thirsty Internet stars and TikTokers who picked up and ate the remnant pineapples , hoping to be detect on the many cameras live - stream the migration .
Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ) are considered an endangered species under theIUCN Red Listand assort under A - stage Department of State protective cover in China . The universe of Asiatic elephant in China is mostly establish in the southwesterly province of Yunnan , which apportion a border with Vietnam , Laos , and Myanmar . The population was dramatically reduced by the 1980s , but on-going preservation efforts have seen their numbers bounce back to approximately 300 person .
As this herd of migrating elephants clearly shows , the species continues to be peril as human infrastructure , urbanization , and maturation encroaches on their instinctive riding habit .
