A male Asian elephant that had separated from a herd that has been wandering southwest China for more than a year has been anesthetised and returned to its nature reserve.
The lone elephant was captured in Yuxi city and sent back to the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, about 280 kilometers (175 miles) away, on Wednesday, a command center monitoring the elephants said.
It appeared healthy and did not have to suffer from any injuries, the Yunnan provincial government said in a social media post.
The remaining 14 elephants have been moving southward recently but are still far from the reserve.
The other elephant had been wandering on its own for more than a month and had shown no intention to return to its herd, according to Yunnan Provincial Command Center for the Safety and Monitoring of North Migrating Asian Elephants.
It had relied heavily on food that the command center provided or that it found in villagers’ homes, and had stayed in a rural neighborhood very close to a highway and a major railroad since Monday.
The elephant’s frequent activities in populated areas prompted concerns of local authorities, who made the decision to send the elephant back to reduce the public safety risk.
More than 200 people, dozens of emergency vehicles, and 20 drones have been deployed to monitor the elephants, according to the command center.
