Did you know that elephants like to cuddle? Well, they do and look quite happy according to this drone footage of a pack of elephants in Kunming, China.
The footage of the herd was captured while they stopped to take a rest after a 500-km trek from their home in the forest of Xishuangbanna.
The elephants were all snuggled up against one another with the little baby elephants nestled up in the middle of the older elephants.
According to The Conversation, elephants typically sleep for about two hours a day.
They typically stand while sleeping but will lie down to sleep every third or fourth day. This must have been one of those days in the video.
This group of elephants is currently on an exodus and monitored by drones around the clock.
They even have a police escort on their migration tour. The herd of 15 elephants escaped from a nature reserve in South China last year.
Now, they’ve become internet sensations with millions of people observing their escape.
People have been particularly taken with the three baby elephant calves that were born during their journey.
Apparently, the large animals are trampling through towns and forestry and have caused more than a million dollars in damage.
Authorities have attempted to lure the elephants away from the cities where they could cause damage by placing pineapple and corn for them to eat.
The elephants appear to be heading north but experts aren’t sure why.
Some say the dwindling rainforest space caused their migration, others say they are just lost. Biologists have said this is a perfect example of why elephant habitats need to be protected.
Animal Reader reports that many elephant habitats and tropical forests have been destroyed.
This is so banana, tea, or rubber plantations can be built for profit in the use of Chinese medicine.
Elephants have been sleeping in these habitats because of a lack of food when their habitats are eliminated.
While authorities have been monitoring the elephants and trying to steer them from towns, wildlife biologist Zhang Li, a professor at Beijing Normal University, says the only want to prevent elephant migration is to protect and restore their natural habitats.
“The traditional buffer zones between humans and elephants are gradually disappearing, and the chances of elephants’ encountering humans naturally increase greatly,” Zhang said.
Asian elephants are a protected species in China, the same can’t be said for their habitats.
There are 300 of them living in Yunnan.
But this herd is especially adorable. Especially one of their little tykes.
Drone footage captured this little guy continually squiring around just to get a comfy spot in his little pile.
He moves around quite a bit but eventually finds a place he is pleased with.
“These beautiful elephants are just looking for a new home,” said one YouTube commenter
Hopefully, they will find one soon where they can live in peace away from the craziness of the rest of the world.
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