SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Fourteen wild elephants are heading south towards their protected habitat in southwest China’s Yunnan province following a 1,300-km (807-mile) trek that captured the public’s imagination, provincial officials said late on Monday. An emergency committee set up to handle the wild elephants, used electric fences and bait and laid artificial roads to ensure the elephants took the correct route. Yang Yingyong, a member of the committee, told reporters the migration route was “scientifically planned”. The committee will “strive to allow the elephants to return to their habitat as soon as possible and thrive,” he said. Shen Qingzhong, an expert with the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve Management Bureau, said it is likely the elephants will head north again in the future.

Source: MetroXpress August 10, 2021 03:45 UTC