Five elephants today strayed into Bhavanisagar town of the district from a nearby forest area, forcing residents to remain indoors till the jumbos were driven back by forest officials in a four-hour operation.
The elephants were first seen in a park at around 6 am and later started roaming around the streets, triggering panic among the residents, who closed the doors of their houses, forest officials said.
Shopkeepers too downed the shutters of their outlets as the pachyderms kept moving around the town.
Forest officials, aided by some locals, scared away the elephants by bursting crackers and beating drums. The elephants returned back to the forest around 10 am.
Elephants often stray into human habitations during summer in search of water due to its scarcity in forest areas because of poor rainfall, officials said.
They said the department have kept water in big drums and also arranged for digging of small ponds and trenches to prevent the elephants from entering residential areas.
