Elephant herds on the run

Chinese officials from the south-western Yunnan province said more than 150, 000 people have been evacuated from the path of migrating elephants. More than 25, 000 police officers using vehicles and drones have monitored the herd of 14 Asian elephants, as the protected animals left a nature reserve in Yunnan about 17 month ago, and trekked 300 miles  wondering through fields, towns and cities eating crops worth millions of dollars and damaging infrastructures.

As the herd approached settlements, people were temporarily relocated to prevent conflict as local residents tried to protect their crops and homes. By June the herd had reached the outskirts of the provincial capital of Kunming and all efforts to head them off and send them back to the Mengyanzi Nature reserve failed.

The Asian elephant is an endangered species as China has only 300 wild elephants, mainly living in the south of Yunnan province.