Very heavy sleepers: Elephant herd takes a snooze on 300-mile trek across China – leaving $1million trail of destruction – since escaping from a nature reserve
China’s famous herd of wandering elephants have stopped for a well-earned rest after a record 300-mile trek across the country following their escape from a nature reserve.
The migrating herd of wild Asian elephants look exhausted as the group lay down together in a forest, with their legs and trunks sprawled out over the ground
A baby elephant looks content as it rests its front legs on the back of another sleeping elephant in the forest on Monday
A baby elephant is seen sprawled on the back of a sleeping elephant as the animals rest after their 300 mile trek on Monday
The elephants can be seen sleeping in two separate groups as they lay sprawled on the grass after their exhausting journey
Nap time! An elephant sleeps with its herd after walking 300 miles across China in a forest near the Xinyang Township
During their epic journey, the elephants have been caught at night trotting down urban streets by security cameras, filmed constantly from the air by more than a dozen drones and followed by those seeking to minimise damage and keep both pachyderms and people out of harm’s way.
A close-up image shows seven elephants forming a pyramid as they sleep next together in a forest near Kunming on Monday
Since beginning their epic journey, the elephants have wandered the streets, broke into barns and munched their way through farmland, causing an estimated 6.8 million yuan ($1.1 million) worth of damagea
Roads have been blocked using lorries while 18 tons of pineapples and corn have been scattered in an attempt to lead the elephants away from the city’s Jinning district
Elephants are a protected species in China, meaning the herd will not be destroyed, while wildlife officers are also keen to avoid using tranquilizers on the infants. Pictured: The elephants are left to roam through the neighbourood near the Shuanghe Township, Jinning District of Kunming city in southwestern China’s Yunnan Province on June 4
The herd of 15 elephants left a trail of destruction as they reached the outskirts of Kunming last week
The wild animals have caused mayhem by walking down urban roads, eating farm crops (pictured) and sticking their trunks through residential windows in Kunming, despite officials’ efforts to divert them away from the populated southwestern city
A herd has been spotted just two miles from the outskirts of Kunming city, home to 7million people (pictured on May 28)
Government orders have told people to stay inside and not to gawk at them or use firecrackers or otherwise attempt to scare them away.
Authorities urged residents to avoid contact with the elephants after the herd reached the Jinning district on the edge of Kunming, a city of seven million residents, late on Wednesday night. Pictured: Elephant walks up driveway to a house
Video footage (pictured), taken from the ground and by air by dozens of drones, shows the elephants wreaking havoc as they ploughed through residential streets, walked up people’s driveways, and munched on farm crops
The elephants were spotted in E’shan county on May 28 (pictured) before migrating even further to the north, sparking fears they could try to enter Kunming as police and wildlife officers race to stop them
Experts say it is unclear what caused the herd – three males, six females, three juveniles and three calves – to migrate, but say it is possible that an inexperienced male leader ‘got lost’
The initial herd consisted of 16 elephants, but two of them turned around during the trek and went home. A calf was then born during the walk, bringing the total to its current 15.
Observers say the group now consists of six adult females, three adult males, three juveniles and three calves of unknown sex.
The wild herd had been living in the Xishuangbanna Dai Nature Reserve until moving out of the area more than a month ago.
Two weeks ago, the elephants wandered on to the streets of a town called Eshan, close to Yuxi, and remained there for six hours with residents warned to stay indoors.
During that time, the elephants wandered the streets, broke into barns, ate out of rubbish bins and munched their way through nearby farmland.
Damage done by the elephants to farmland along their route is currently estimated at 6.8 million yuan ($1.1 million), according to Xinhua.