Aerial video clip taken on June 20, 2021 shows the Asian elephants in Dalongtan Township of Eshan County, Yuxi City of southwest China's Yunnan Province.Photo:Xinhua

The herd of 14 wild Asian elephants roaming Southwest China's Yunnan Province began to return to its habitat safely after crossing the Yuanjiang River on Sunday evening, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The herd was monitored on Saturday while wandering in the forest near Ganzhuang community in Yuanjiang county, Yuxi city, Yunnan Province. All of them were in good conditions and posed no threats to humans, the report said , citing officials from the headquarters in charge of monitoring their migration.

The herd of wild Asian elephants which originally lived in a national nature reserve in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in southern Yunnan, left their forest home and headed north since March 2020. 

After visiting counties like Mojiang, Yuanjiang, Shiping, E'shan, the herd entered Jinning district in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, on June 2.

Early in July, a male elephant which strayed from the herd in June was captured and sent back to its forest home.

To guarantee the safety of elephants and humans, local governments took a series of measures to help guide elephants in their migration.

Authorities dispatched emergency responders and police personnel to ensure the safety of local residents and the animals. Drones were also used to monitor the movements of the animals.