Madukkarai residents petitioned District Collector Archana Patnaik on Monday to chase an elephant that had been seen in the area, back into the forest.

According to B. Shoban, one of the residents, there are around 200 families living in Church Colony, Military Camp, Marathukaadu and M.G.R. Nagar in the Madukkarai Panchayat. Since the areas are nearby the Ghat region, the residents get to see wild animals frequently.

Shoban said that a lonely tusker had been camping in their area for the past two weeks. Repeated attempts by the Forest Department to chase it away went in vain.

“Three forest officials come regularly to chase the elephant using crackers. The elephant moves away for time being, but it returns again later,” he said.

He further added that the situation would get worse if the elephant moved into the nearby fields.

Rajendran, another resident of the area, alleged that the elephant had killed two persons, including a forest official, and a local. “Most of the people in our area work in farmlands nearby and they have to move out early in the morning. Since the elephant stays in the area from midnight till 6 a.m., we fear that anything worse could happen,” he said.