Kakkabbe: After keeping tourist and residents on their toes for few days in and around the foothills of Thadiyandamol, a renowned trekking spot near Yavakapadi village, elephants retrieved into their familiar home, “the forest.”

Yavakapadi village is located between coffee plantations and forest and wild elephants come in search of jack fruits during summer. In recent years, many estate owners destroyed raw jack fruits to prevent elephant attacks. Jack fruit emanates strong aroma and elephants travel distances in search of their favourite fruit, which serves as a rich food too.

Foreign and local tourists visit the area to see the Nalknad palace and enjoy trekking expeditions on Thadiyandamol hills. During the last few days, even they changed directions in fear after incidents of elephant attacks appeared in media. The jumbos had even attacked the tiny tile roofed dwellings of estate labourers in a fit of rage. Out of fear, most school children stopped going to school and labourers skipped work.

Forest department officials finally, succeeded in driving them back into forests after herculean efforts. One female elephant giving birth to a calf had increased their difficulty multifold.

Now, tourists may return to their favourite trekking spot but the fear of residents still remains intact, as they are not sure of the untimely arrival of the “wild guests.”