The herd of five elephants with a calf was seen roaming the Gethai hills and suddenly blocked the Government bus heading towards Coimbatore causing panic among passengers.
Nilgiris: Even as wildlife movement has increased on the roads and in residential areas in Nilgiris district, Government buses have begun plying on the third alternative route from Manjoor in Nilgiris district to Coimbatore via the Gethai route.
A Government bus carrying passengers was on its way to Coimbatore from Manjoor via Gethai on Wednesday evening when a herd of five elephants with a calf was seen strolling along the Gethai road and then suddenly stopped right across the road. Alarmed by the sudden halt of the herd in the middle of the road, the driver of the Government bus stopped the bus immediately.
After a while, the elephants slowly walked along the road with the driver of the bus slowly driving behind the herd of elephants for a long period of time until the herd moved back into the forest.
With incidents of wild elephants roaming on roads freely and entering residential areas and farmlands, and damaging crops, the public and motorists in Nilgiris district have demanded that the Forest Department should take immediate steps to prevent wild animals, especially elephants, from leaving the forest reserve area.