OREANDA-NEWS. Authorities in Yunnan province in southwestern China have evacuated more than 150,000 people since April during the migration of a herd of elephants, according to a report posted on the province's forestry and steppe administration website on Tuesday.

In the spring of 2021, a herd of Asian elephants left their habitat in the forests of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan province in southern China. For several months, a herd of 14 elephants wandered around the province, and now began to return to their traditional habitat. The provincial authorities closely monitored the herd's migration route and took measures to ensure the safety of animals and residents of the settlements through which the elephants passed.

"As of August 8, more than 150 thousand people have been evacuated," the message says.

The department also noted that more than 25 thousand police officers and other workers, more than 970 unmanned vehicles tracking the migration route of the herd, as well as more than 1.5 thousand pieces of equipment were involved to ensure control of the situation. More than 180 tons of food was used to provide elephants with food during the migration.

In recent years, a number of measures have been introduced in the PRC to protect Asian elephants, as a result of which their population is increasing by 3-5% annually. Population growth means an expansion of the habitat, which, in particular, determines their mass migration.