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A young elephant with injuries near its mouth created flutter after it entered a hotel near Periya Thadagam on Coimbatore -Anaikatti Road on Tuesday.
According to local sources, the animal was spotted with her mother in a five-member herd near the residential area over the last four days. However, on Tuesday, the calf lost its way and entered the residential area alone.
First, the animal entered inside a hotel, where it spent nearly two hours, and damaged grocery items and eggs kept inside the kitchen. Later, the animal entered the Coimbatore Anaikatti Road, where people gathered to take photographs of the animal, and traffic stood still. Forest staff visited the spot and diverted the animal to the nearby Anuvavi Subramaniya Samy temple by bursting crackers.
According to experts, the calf elephant, unable to bear the pain, entered the residential area looking for easy food, after it was unable to chew plants and green fodder inside the forest.
Forest Department officials said that they drove the animal back inside the forest, where they will continue to monitor the elephant in the coming days. Sources said that the animal was injured on her mouth after biting an avuttukai (a country made bomb).