- Title: Drone footage shows nomad elephant herd taking nap in Kunming
- Date: 8th June 2021
- Summary: KUNMING, YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA (JUNE 7, 2021) (CCTV - NO USE CHINA) DRONE FOOTAGE OF ELEPHANT HERD SLEEPING, ELEPHANT CALF AWAKE AND LYING ON ADULT'S SHOULDERS DRONE FOOTAGE OF ELEPHANT HERD SLEEPING YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA (RECENT) (CCTV - NO USE CHINA) VARIOUS DRONE FOOTAGE OF ELEPHANTS GRAZING IN FORESTED AREA DRONE FOOTAGE OF FOREST DRONE FOOTAGE OF ELEPHANT KICKING DOWN BUSHES DRONE FOOTAGE OF ELEPHANTS ON PATHWAY DRONE FOOTAGE OF ELEPHANTS TRAVELLING UP HILL DRONE FOOTAGE OF ELEPHANTS NEAR TERRACE FARM ELEPHANTS GRAZING
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: China Kunming Xishuangbanna Yunnan elephants sleeping environment habitat herd nature wildlife
- Location: KUNMING, YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA
- City: KUNMING, YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Environment,Nature/Wildlife,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001EGJH2YV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Drone footage released by Chinese state media on Tuesday (June 8) showed a herd of elephants, including a young calf, taking a nap on the outskirts of a major city in southwest China.
The footage, shot on Monday (June 7) morning via a drone operated by officials from the Yunnan Forest Firefighting Brigade, showed the herd of 15 elephants sleeping in a forested area of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The group of Asian elephants, which includes three calves, originally lived in a nature reserve, according to the official Xinhua news agency, and has trekked for nearly 500 km (310.6 miles) along highways and through fields of crops over the past months.
The herd reached Kunming on June 2, defying authorities' attempts to redirect them. The elephants have been under constant surveillance from authorities since heading north, who have even deployed heat-seeking drones to keep track of the animals.
While it is unclear why the elephants are moving north, the Xinhua report said a decline in edible plants in forest habitats has put pressure on the animals, whose numbers have grown in Yunnan in recent decades.
(Production: Martin Pollard, Joseph Campbell) - Copyright Holder: CCTV (China)
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