An elephant strayed out of the Gorumara National Park in Jalpaiguri and wreaked havoc on a nearby village on early Monday morning.

Around 2.30am, the elephant walked into the Majhiali-Tunidhura area of Matiali block. It attacked Bijoy Sunar’s house and vandalised the kitchen and a room. The elephant also devoured food grains and vegetables inside the kitchen.

Sonar managed to get out of the house with his family. Residents rushed to his house and started beating metal cans and drums to drive the animal away. After a couple of hours, the elephant left.

Representatives of the local panchayat handed over relief materials to the affected family and informed the forest department of the incident. Sajal Kumar Dey, the Khunia forest ranger, said the family would be given compensation according to the rule.

In another incident, a tusker from the Gorumara forest entered the Bamandanga-Tondu tea estate in Nagrakata block on Monday morning. Residents burst crackers, and the siren on the tea estate went off. Still, the animal didn't leave the garden.

A team from the Khunia forest range reached the spot soon. The tusker, however, tried to enter the neighbouring village.

Around 10am, the foresters managed to send the elephant back to Gorumara.