Traffic came to a standstill on the Athirappilly–Valparai ghat road last night after a lone tusker, Kabali, wandered onto the forest route and blocked vehicles for several minutes.
The elephant, known for roaming between the Athirappilly forest in Kerala and the Valparai hills in Tamil Nadu, was spotted feeding on roadside trees before stepping onto the road. A Kerala State Transport bus and a tourist van travelling from Athirappilly towards Malakkappara had to stop as Kabali stood in their way.
Eyewitnesses said the tusker appeared restless and moved close to a few vehicles, leaving motorists and passengers alarmed.
Forest officials from both Kerala and Tamil Nadu reached the spot and managed to drive the elephant back into the forest after a brief effort.
Locals said the tusker frequently blocks traffic along the route and urged the forest department to increase patrolling and issue safety warnings to travellers on the ghat road.
