An aged gaur strayed into the heart of Udhagamandalam town and fell asleep behind a row of shops along the busy Commercial Road on Monday morning.
Forest Department officials said the animal had entered the town in the early hours of Monday and had walked along Commercial Road before entering a small patch of grassland behind a Tasmac outlet in the area. It was said to have grazed there for a while before trying to head back to the Kodappamund area, where it was believed to have come from.
However, as the locality was teeming with people and vehicular traffic by then, the gaur retreated into the grassland.
Forest officials were posted in the area to keep tabs on the animal and ensure that the residents did not get too close to it. They said they would keep watch till the evening by when, they hoped, the animal would wake up and make its way into a nearby reserve forest. “We will ensure that it leaves the town safely without coming into contact with humans,” said a Forest official.