China's wandering elephant heard heads home

A famous elephant herd wandering in southwestern China is finally heading towards home.

The herd of 14 wild Asian elephants crossed the Yuanjiang River in Yuanjiang Country, Yuxi City, Yunnan Province on Sunday night, a progress that the provincial government described as significant.

As of Sunday night, the herd was still in Yuanjiang County, approximately 200 kilometers (125 miles) away from their original habitat in southwestern Yunnan's Xishuangbanna.

Although the elephants are still far from their original home, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said in an online statement that the animals are already in a suitable habitat.

The elephants attracted nationwide attention after they left the reserve in Yunnan province last year and walked more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) north. They reached the outskirts of Kunming, a major city, in early June, before turning south again.

Local authorities have deployed personnel and drones to monitor the elephants, evacuated roads for them to pass safely and used food to distract them from populated areas.

The Yunnan provincial government said it will continue to help the elephant herd return to their original habitat soon.