Residents of Malbazar town in Jalpaiguri district had a big New Year surprise on Monday in the shape of a wild elephant.

On Monday, around 5.45am, the elephant entered Malbazar, which is in the western Dooars, and started roaming around.

“I woke up as the street dogs started barking at their top of their voices. As I came out of my house, I saw the wild elephant, a tusker, on the road. Some of my neighbours, too, had come out of their homes. But all of us quickly went inside once we saw the tusker. It, however, seemed unperturbed by us. Eventually it left our locality,” said resident Dipak Sarkar.

The elephant, residents said, moved through Ramakrishna Colony, Satyanarayan More, Caltex More and the area next to the local gurdwara for around an hour.

As the news spread, a section of Malbazar residents informed the police and the forest department about the wild visitor. The personnel of the Indian army posted in a cantonment next to the town also got the information about the elephant. They were the first to turn up.

The elephant entered NH31, as the army personnel tried to steer it back to the forest. After some time, it walked past the army cantonment and moved into a tea estate.

Foresters said they suspected that the elephant got separated from its herd. “The herd seemed to be moving towards Sakam forest, 2km from Malbazar town,” said a source. "The tusker has been steered towards the forest, too."

The elephant, police sources said, didn’t cause any damage in the town during its stay.

An elderly resident said the last such wild elephant had entered Malbazar town in 1991.