A wild elephant got stuck in a tea estate at the Malbazar subdivision of Jalpaiguri on Sunday for some hours as it strayed into the garden in search of fodder, sparking panic.

Hundreds assembled to catch a glimpse of the animal. Teams from the state forest department and personnel from Malbazar police station reached the spot.

Foresters and policemen made public announcements to disperse the crowd, asked them to maintain a safe distance and abstain from irritating the elephant.

The animal, foresters said, stayed at the plantations throughout the day. Around 5pm, foresters took the initiative to drive it back to the forest. Eventually, the elephant moved and by 6pm, it entered the Lataguri forest area, much to the relief of local residents and foresters.

“The elephant has walked back into the forest. Even then, we are keeping a close watch in the area so that it doesn’t return,” said a forest officer.

Herd near highway

A herd of wild elephants turned out to be the centre of attraction for people as the
animals roamed near NH17 near the Jaldhaka river bridge of Nagrakata block on
Sunday afternoon.

Seeing the elephants, those moving in cars stopped and started clicking photos. The situation reached such an extent that traffic movement halted in the area. Soon, a team from the Nagrakata police station went to the spot and cleared the road. People were asked to sit in their cars and leave.

Around 6.30 pm, foresters of the Khunia forest range went to the spot and burst sound crackers, which made the herd members walk back into the forest.