The Forest department has stepped up patrolling in the Clement Town area after elephants entered the residential area here and damaged the boundary walls in some places on Thursday night. According to eye witnesses, two elephants entered the residential area from the Post Office Road during the night and damaged the boundary wall of a school and a home. Police and forest department personnel managed to get the elephants to return to the forests.
According to Dehradun divisional forest officer Sushant Patnaik, the elephants might have strayed into the residential area from the jungles of Rajaji national park. “At present we do not know of any specific factor which may have attracted the pachyderms to this area. However, we are keeping a watch on the situation and if we learn of any such factor from our observations, we will plan necessary measures. In the meanwhile, the department has stepped up patrolling in the area,” he added.
It will be recalled that an elephant had entered this area last year in November too when it had caused damage to some buildings. At that time it was being speculated that a cow elephant may have strayed into the residential area looking for its lost calf.