Don't Gawk or Give Food: Wandering Elephants Near China City

BEIJING - Elephants in a wandering herd in southwest China walked down urban roads and poked their trunks through windows as they neared a Chinese city and authorities rushed to protect both the animals and people.

It's not clear why the 15 elephants have made their long trek, which has been documented and monitored both on the ground and from the air by a dozen drones. Authorities have urged people in the area to stay indoors and are blocking roads with construction equipment while seeking to lure the animals away with food. The elephants have already walked 500 kilometers from a nature reserve in Yunnan's mountainous southwest. They appear healthy in images showing them roaming through farmland, villages and down paved roads at night in urban areas. On Tuesday, they turned up at a retirement home and poked their trunks into some of the rooms, prompting one elderly man to hide under his bed, according to residents interviewed by online channel Jimu News.