Two wild tuskers walked into Falakata in Alipurduar district on Thursday, keeping the town agog from dawn to dusk.

The elephants damaged some buildings but prompt intervention by foresters and the police prevented any human-animal conflict.

An elderly resident of Deshbandhupara of the town, Tulsi Sarkar, did a double take during his morning walk to see two elephants ambling along

The tuskers did more than amble. They broke the boundary wall of the Falakata Girls’ High School and the gate of an adjacent primary school.

The elephants moved to NH27 and damaged a stretch of the divider. They entered Subhashpally and then Babupara. There, the duo took shelter in a bush behind the house of one Abdul Mannan.

“I was bewildered to see two elephants so near my home,” said Mannan.

People started swarming into the locality. Foresters from the Jaldapara wildlife and Jalpaiguri forest divisions also went there with the police.

They made public announcements asking people to keep safe distance and cordoned off the area where the tuskers were.

Most schools announced a holiday and many shopkeepers downed their shutters in panic. Roads were almost deserted.

In the afternoon, foresters brought Minakshi and Champakali, two “kunki” or pet elephants from Jaldapara.

The elephants, guided by mahouts, were engaged to drive the tuskers out of the town.

Around 5pm, as foresters burst crackers, the wild elephants moved towards forests through Asutoshpally. They damaged at least 15 houses on their way back.

A senior forester said they suspected dense fog made the elephants lose their way and stray into the town.