Baripada: A herd of more than 70 elephants entered villages in Mayurbhanj district bordering Jharkhand on Monday night.
The herd had come out Dalama sanctuary and travelled into the villages of the district, said sources.
Locals and foresters tried hard to drive away the pachyderms but the wild animals did not return to their native place.
While some villagers have left their homes in panic, police and forest department personnel have taken others to safer places.
“It is difficult to say whether this herd of pachyderms came from Jharkhand or West Bengal states, but we are trying our best to escort them into Nilagiri forest,” said a forest official.