Herd of elephants take snuggle nap after 500 km trek. Photo goes viral

A herd of wandering Asian elephants, which rose to fame in China and are being closely monitored by authorities, was captured taking a well-deserved nap for the first time in 15 months after covering 500 kilometers (300 miles). The herd was seen sleeping in the woods near a village in Xiyang.

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The adorable pictures of the herd sleeping in the woods after heavy rain slowed down its travels went viral on social media and received more than 25,000 shares and 200 million views on China’s microblogging site Weibo till Monday.

The four-legged trekkers are being given global celebrity-like treatment as at least 14 drones and 500 people have been deployed to check up on the animals.

According to the Yunnan Forest Firefighting Brigade, there are 15 elephants in the herd, including three calves. While it is unclear that when or why the elephants left their natural habitat to embark on this journey around the world, the authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure their safety.

According to BBC, after several failed attempts to drive them back to their habitat, the animals seems to be turning back and heading home.

They are probably from the Mengyangzi Nature Reserve in Xishuangbanna, in south-west Yunnan province.