Two gaurs (Indian bison) strayed into Falakata town in Alipurduar on Thursday morning.

They are believed to have entered from the neighbouring Jaldapara National Park.

One of the animals died due to a suspected heart attack, while the other gaur returned to Jaldapara late in the evening.

Thursday morning, some residents of Dakshin Parongerpar, a locality in ward number one of Falakata, spotted the animals.

A crowd soon started gathering in the area to see the gaurs. A section of them started chasing the animals. The gaurs then reached Chuakhola, an area in ward II.

One gaur attacked Biswajit Biswas, a resident of Chuakhola, who had approached the animals. Biswas suffered injuries in his head and back and is under treatment at a private nursing home inCooch Behar.

As the day rolled on, people continued chasing the gaurs, prompting the animals to move into different localities.

At Sonardham, a gaur attacked Sujoy Barman, a youth, who ended up with an injury in his leg.

A team from the Jaldapara wildlife division reached the spot after being informed. Meanwhile, one of the animals collapsed due to the excitement of running throughout the day and died onthe spot.

The other gaur took shelter in a cornfield. Foresters tried their best to tranquillise the animal, but it could not be darted until evening.

“Because of a huge gathering of people, the animals panicked and attacked people in some places. Also, one of the animals died on the spot. The other animal, however, returned to Jaldapara in the evening,” said Parveen Kaswan, the divisional forest officer of the Jaldaparawildlife division.

The forest department is bearing the treatment costs of the injured duo,he added.

Elephant attack

A wild tusker entered the Mechpara tea estate in the Kalchini block of Alipurduar district and damaged a house on Wednesday night.

Five people were injured while escaping duringthe attack.

Sources said that a concrete wall fell on a five-year-old boy when the elephant damaged the walls of the house, and he suffered ahead injury.

Four others were injured while running through the garden, which was dark due to a power cut.

The quartet were treated at the block health centre, while the boy is under treatment at the district hospitalin Alipurduar.

Foresters have visited the spot. The state forest department will stand in support of the affected family, saida source.