An elephant separated from the herd that roams the fields and villages of China

A die the 15 elephants that captivate China and the world for his journey in the fields and the villages he separated from his companions and now he’s traveling alone, according to CCTV state television footage.

In March 2020, 16 elephants left Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, in Yunnan province in southwest China, move to the north of the country; however, the number of elephants has decreased as they advance in their journey, moving away more than 500 km from its natural habitat, before arriving in Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan.

In November, the herd reached Mojiang County, Pu’er City, where one of the elephants gave birth to a calf; In April 2021, the 17 elephants entered Yuanjiang County in Yuxi City, but two of them went their separate ways. and they returned to Mojiang County. The rest of the pack continued their journey north.

This Friday it was reported that one of the 15 elephants was separated from his companions; the animal is now 12 km from the rest of the herd after parting ways earlier in the week, said public broadcaster CCTV, which broadcasts its lead around the clock on its website.

From the captured images, elephants continue their way through the jungle while the male digs the ground then covered with dust which he picked up with his trunk.

His route is under constant surveillance by drones and officials who are responsible for clearing your way, so far, the animals are in good health without accidents or injuries, despite passing through towns and highways, as well as entering barns and homes in search of food, damage to agriculture estimated at over a million dollars.

According to the state channel, the animals destroyed some 56 hectares of crops, causing an estimated loss of 6.8 million yuan, or $ 1.07 million.

Last week, the herd entered Kunming city, capital of Yunnan province with over 8 million inhabitants, however, local authorities placed trucks on both sides of the road to force them to change direction.

Experts still do not know why the elephants left the reserve, although In recent years, animals have approached villages, as the plants they usually eat have been replaced by inedible species.

At China’s wild elephants are protected, because they have a population of 300 specimens that live exclusively in the tourist and tropical region of Xishuangbanna.

Last Sunday, a long line of trucks invaded the roads of Kunming city in an attempt to block the passage of elephants.

State broadcaster CCTV showed the long line of trucks parked on the small country road to try to keep animals away from the city, which has 8 million inhabitants.

In an interview with state television, one of the truckers indicated that “we are here to block the elephants … the traffic police said they need the trucks. As long as they need me, I’ll be there ”.

In addition, the authorities mobilized hundreds of people to monitor, using drones and infrared cameras, the movement of pachyderms.

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