14 elephants in China continue their journey, while one falls behind

15 elephants that went on a 500-kilomtere march prompted chaos in southwestern parts of China as one member was found to have broken away from the herd, as officials continue to try to contain the animals from causing further damage. One of the 15 elephants fell behind by 12 kilometres from the herd.

State television in China launched a live feed of the elephants as hundreds of drones have been deployed to trace their journey and warn the locals about the elephants. The elephants have damaged crops and land, costing farmers more than a million dollars in losses.

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The herd moved into the outskirts of provincial capital Kunming last week, prompting authorities and volunteers to line up trucks in an effort to keep them away from densely populated areas.

Footage from state broadcaster CCTV filmed Wednesday showed the group marching in the jungle while one male elephant wandered through the vegetation alone, stopping to root through dirt and throw dust on itself.

Earlier footage showed the group bathing themselves in mud and napping together in a clearing.

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Experts are unsure where the elephants are headed or why they left their home at the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve late last year.

The wild elephant population in Yunnan stands at around 300, up from 193 in the 1980s, official news agency Xinhua reported.

Elephants have increasingly wandered into villages and harmed crops in recent years, according to local officials.