An elephant plays on the basketball court of a border checkpoint in Southwest China's Yunnan Province. Photo: People's Daily

A group of wild Asian elephants wandered into a border checkpoint in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture of Southwest China's Yunnan Province in the early hours on July 5, according to media reports on Tuesday.

According to the report, three adult elephants and one baby elephant passed by the gate of the station one after another nearly 4 am on July 5, with five adult elephants gathering at the gate of the station and leaving it after wandering for about three minutes.

Three elephants then entered the station from one side of the fence and stopped to relax in a corner of the station and on the basketball court. At around 5 am, the three elephants came out of the station from the other side of the fence and accompanied the herd toward the forest.

The police at the checkpoint promptly informed the local forestry and grassland administration of the situation, and issued an alert to the neighboring residents by telephone.

Officials have issued a reminder to the public that when encountering wild elephants, people should refrain from making noise, attempting to get close to take photos, or using flash to avoid disturbing the wild animals. It is advised to maintain a distance of at least 100 meters from them.

Drivers should turn around as soon as possible when encountering wild elephants, drive in a standardized manner, and keep the roads clear. When the elephant herd approaches or enters a village, people should seek shelter in a safe area or a sturdy building in a timely manner, and should not attempt to drive them away.

Global Times