VIDEO. The unstoppable herd of wild elephants continues to wreak havoc in China

“We are here to block the elephants.

The traffic police will tell us what to do in detail.

We are a team of trucks.

As long as I am needed, I will stay here!

», Explained to AFP a driver mobilized to stop the advance of the herd of pachyderms which continue to cause panic in the southwest of China.

Trucks lined up along the roads to try to block the passage of these 15 wild elephants which have already wreaked havoc in several villages. Since mid-April, this herd, made up of 6 females and 3 adult males, 3 young and 3 babies, have devastated nearly 56 hectares of crops, as well as housing and portals. " I was scared. We got out and saw an elephant about 3 meters tall. He really scared us. A baby elephant even bumped into our wall, before running away. The herd has been walking around the village all day, ”a villager told AFP.

According to the authorities, the damage and losses caused by the elephants are estimated at 6.8 million yuan, or nearly 870,000 euros.

The public authorities have mobilized thousands of people to follow the movements of the herd with drones and infrared cameras.

Since mid-April, the pachyderms have left their Xishuangbanna reserve, where they were located, in a region bordering Laos and Burma, and have traveled nearly 500 km.

But zoologists still do not know the reasons for their migration.

300 wild elephants are currently recorded in southwestern Yunnan.