COIMBATORE: The forest department in the Nilgiris has initiated efforts to reunite a calf elephant separated from its family.

Some tourists going by Masinagudi-Moyar Road on Monday spotted the few weeks old male calf elephant and informed the forest department. Soon officials arrived and noticed the animal frantically searching for its herd.

“It was alone. And, the stressed calf elephant crossed the road multiple times on either way in panic. Therefore, the vehicle movement on the Masinagudi-Moyar Road was suspended for a while as a precaution,” said an official.

A team of staff have been deployed to monitor the movement of the calf elephant, while another team has launched a search for its mother and herd members. “All out efforts will be taken to reunite the calf elephant with its family,” the official added.

Meanwhile, the intrusion of wild elephants, which was under control due to various efforts taken by the forest department had resumed in different parts of the Gudalur area causing panic among people. A wild elephant entered Marthoma Nagar in Gudalur on Sunday night and raided crops causing immense loss to farmers.

In another incident, the villagers spent fearsome moments after a wild elephant made its way into third-mile area in Devarsholai Town Panchayat in Gudalur. They stayed inside their houses to avoid a conflict.

It was recently, following protests by affected villagers, the forest department deployed kumkis and mounted driving operations to keep wild elephant intrusions under check for some days.

Now, again, the villagers have urged the forest department to take concrete measures to prevent wild elephants from coming out of the jungle.