Wandering elephants’ epic journey ends

A wandering Asian elephant herd finished its 29-day stay in Mojiang county, Yunnan province's Pu'er city and returned to its natural habitat on Friday.

The herd, which was safely monitored and guided across the Babian River Bridge, entered the vicinity of Mohei town in Ning'er county on early Friday morning, eliminating the risk of elephant populations separated by the river.

This marked the conclusion of the herd's northbound trip, as local authorities take over the herd's routine monitoring and management.

The herd's long march attracted wide attention as Chinese authorities moved fast and tried various means to ensure the safety of people and the elephants along the way.

A scientific research and advisory team composed of 13 experts from related fields was created in response to the situation, along with an "elephant protection group" composed of more than 30 professionals to make sure the herd traveled south and returned to its natural habitat.

Consisting of 15 elephants, the herd was monitored and their health stable during the entire trip.

The herd departed from its traditional habitat in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture last year and started traveling north in April this year. They passed through a total of eight counties in Yunnan.

On June 6, a male elephant left the group and traveled alone for over a month. Due to safety concerns and to prevent the risk of conflicts between the elephant and people, the elephant was sedated and sent back to his original habitat in Xishuangbanna on July 7.

The remaining 14 members continued their journey until Friday.

As of Aug 8, the authorities of Yunnan province had mobilized over 25,000 workers and police officers, 973 drones, and more than 15,000 emergency vehicles to ensure the safety of both the herd and local residents.

An estimated 150,000 people were temporarily evacuated away from the herd's path and nearly 180 tons of food was provided to the herd.