Representative image of elephant.
Credit: iStock Photo
A wild elephant which had strayed into Ulikkal town in this north Kerala district early on Wednesday and triggered panic among the residents, was pushed back into the forest after an over 12-hour long operation.
The tusker entered the town at around 8 am and caused panic among the people, three of whom were injured in the subsequent melee, police said.
On seeing the elephant, panic-stricken people ran helter-skelter for safety, it said.
Thereafter, hundreds of personnel from the Forest department and the police reached the place and commenced their efforts to drive the pachyderm back into the forest in the neighbouring state of Karnataka from where the tusker had come, they said.
Forest officials burst several rounds of firecrackers to slowly and steadily guide the elephant back into the forest it came from.
However, heavy rains in the second half of the day played spoilsport and forced them to temporarily halt the operation, police said.
Subsequently, after the rains stopped, the forest and police officials renewed their efforts and by around 9 pm, the tusker was finally driven into the forests in the neighbouring state of Karnataka, police said.
Schools, shops and other establishments in the area were shut to ensure no one was attacked by the elephant.
Though no public or private property was damaged by the elephant, it damaged some crops, they added.