BHUBANESWAR: Panic gripped residents of Khurda town after a tusker strayed to the locality on Tuesday afternoon.
According to sources, a 15-year-old tusker crossed a dry farmland and came over NH-57 leading to disruption of vehicular movement for a brief period. Later, the jumbo moved to a small cashew plantation area behind the district headquarter hospital (DHH) and rested there for around two hours.
As panic gripped, forest staff present at the spot alerted locals not to chase it and tried to drive the elephant towards the forest. The elephant then moved towards Jamusahi on its own in the evening without causing any harm to any vehicle or individual, said a forest official from Khurda division.“A team of elephant watchers are tracking its movement to ensure a safe passage is facilitated,” he said.