The migrating herd of wild Asian elephants look exhausted as the group lay down together in a forest, with their legs and trunks sprawled out over the ground

A baby elephant looks content as it rests its front legs on the back of another sleeping elephant in the forest on Monday

A baby elephant is seen sprawled on the back of a sleeping elephant as the animals rest after their 300 mile trek on Monday

The elephants can be seen sleeping in two separate groups as they lay sprawled on the grass after their exhausting journey

Nap time! An elephant sleeps with its herd after walking 300 miles across China in a forest near the Xinyang Township

A close-up image shows seven elephants forming a pyramid as they sleep next together in a forest near Kunming on Monday

Since beginning their epic journey, the elephants have wandered the streets, broke into barns and munched their way through farmland, causing an estimated 6.8 million yuan ($1.1 million) worth of damagea

Roads have been blocked using lorries while 18 tons of pineapples and corn have been scattered in an attempt to lead the elephants away from the city’s Jinning district

Elephants are a protected species in China, meaning the herd will not be destroyed, while wildlife officers are also keen to avoid using tranquilizers on the infants. Pictured: The elephants are left to roam through the neighbourood near the Shuanghe Township, Jinning District of Kunming city in southwestern China’s Yunnan Province on June 4

The herd of 15 elephants left a trail of destruction as they reached the outskirts of Kunming last week

The wild animals have caused mayhem by walking down urban roads, eating farm crops (pictured) and sticking their trunks through residential windows in Kunming, despite officials’ efforts to divert them away from the populated southwestern city

A herd has been spotted just two miles from the outskirts of Kunming city, home to 7million people (pictured on May 28)

Government orders have told people to stay inside and not to gawk at them or use firecrackers or otherwise attempt to scare them away.

So far, more passive means are being used to keep them out of urban areas, including the parking of trucks and construction equipment to block roads and the use of food drops to lure them away.

As of Tuesday, the herd remained on the outskirts of Kunming, a city of seven million, with one of the males having moved away on his own, creating even more excitement – and worry – for those attempting to keep tabs on them.

A news release on Monday from a provincial command centre set up to monitor the group said the elephants appeared to be resting, while more than 410 emergency response personnel and police personnel, scores of vehicles and 14 drones were deployed to monitor them.

Area residents were evacuated, temporary traffic control measures implemented, and two tons of elephant food put in place.

Another objective was to ‘maintain silence to create conditions for guiding the elephant group to migrate west and south’, the command centre said.

Animal experts told Xinhua news agency that it is unclear what has motivated the elephants’ migration, which is the longest ever recorded in China.

But they said it is possible that the pack leader ‘lacks experience and led the whole group astray.’