later forest officials managed to shoo away the elephants into a nearby reserve forest area tension prevailed in the surrounding areas as the elephants camped there for over four hours last week a herd of about twelve elephants strayed into a private tea estate near emerald valley near ooty on their journey from the burliar forests the mammals halted on the coonoormettupalayam road at kattery for a while and posed a threat to vehicles mostly trucks in the early hours on monday one of the passengers finally got the jumbos to move by using the car horn meanwhile private land owners who had cultivated banana and bamboo in the surrounding areas were asked to uproot their crops it is really very troubling and this is the first time the animals have come so close to our home said the inmates of the old age home the animals ravaged bamboo cultivation in a patta land near the hospital which is surrounded by tea estates while forest officials claim that they have intensified their vigil by deploying more forest guards residents feel that the situation is only getting worse we will keep vigil overnight a lorry heading towards coonoor was stuck on the road as the animals blocked the way once the animals reach the forest area it will be easier to drive them deep into the forest said an official in karumbalam they damaged a small shop for the second time in just a couple of weeks the pachyderms aged about 1012 years and the calf just a year and a half entered the town and created chaos over 200 people gathered near the spot v ramanathan officials should seriously consider resolving the issue they ravaged a tea garden and damaged a staff quarters located there breaking the window panes forest officials were worried that the mammals might react adversely to the crowd they moved on to mount pleasant in coonoor halting a few metres away from an old age home and private hospital udhagamandalam three elephants including a calf strayed into coonoor town in the nilgiris scaring residents on monday forest officials and police rushed to the spot elephants like bamboo very much and they can smell banana and bamboo from as far away as 2km said a forester the animals also ravaged a banana plantation cultivated in the staff quarters of a private estate a resident of coonoor town said elephants straying into town has become routine