Wild elephant strays into Jaithari town and triggers panic among residents

BHOPAL: A wild elephant strayed into Jaithari town of Anuppur district on Wednesday night, triggering panic among residents. While some people fled screaming, others chased the animal to capture videos on their phones, further agitating the jumbo.Police and forest officials rushed to the spot and repeatedly urged residents to keep their distance. The elephant was eventually driven out of the city limits with the help of crackers around 10 pm.According to the forest department, the elephant was roaming in villages for nearly 14 days and already attacked two people. It earlier moved with a herd of four that camped in Anuppur for nearly six weeks before returning to Chhattisgarh’s Katghora range.

One elephant broke away and re-entered Madhya Pradesh, first sighted on August 22 along the district boundary.The animal was last seen heading towards Pachauha’s Path Baba area through the Rajendragram forest range. Forest officials have appealed to residents of Kukurgoda, Cholna, Choi, Padariya, Dhangawan, Takhauli, Laharpur, Pachauha, and Kusumhai villages to remain alert and avoid provoking the animal.