China tries to keep elephant herd out of city of 7 million

The herd of wild Asian elephants (Hu Chao/Xinhua via AP, File)

A herd of 15 wild elephants that walked 300 miles from a nature reserve are approaching the major Chinese city of Kunming as authorities rush to keep them out of populated areas.

Chinese wildlife authorities say they do not know why the herd left a nature reserve last year near the city of Pu’er, a region known for tea cultivation. The group was 16 animals, but the government says two returned home and a baby was born during the walk.