China’s wandering wild elephant herd comes dangerously close to humans

A herd of 14 wild elephants has come dangerously close to humans, wandering within metres of a safety command centre in Diesuo Village in southwest China’s Yunnan province on Sunday.

The centre’s staff rounded up villagers to prevent them from disturbing the animals and potentially prompting a rampage.

The elephants’ route is being closely monitored with drones. Their year-long 500-kilometre trek from their home in a wildlife reserve to the outskirts of the provincial capital of Kunming has made the elephants a global sensation. No one knows why they have made the journey or where they are going next.