Over the past three months, the conflict between humans and wild elephants in Kerala has tragically claimed its fifth victim.
Pathanamthitta: Police reported that a 53-year-old man lost his life in a tragic encounter with a wild elephant near his home in Thulappally, where the animal had wandered into the vicinity of the forest. The man was attacked and killed when he attempted to chase the elephant away from his property.
In the last three months, there have been five recorded deaths in Kerala due to conflicts between people and wild elephants.
Daisy, an eyewitness to the tragic incident, recounted that Biju, a local auto driver, and herself emerged from their house upon hearing the trumpeting of an elephant nearby. Unfortunately, as they stepped outside, the elephant seized Biju with its trunk and threw him on the ground twice.
Daisy also mentioned that the same elephant had caused problems in the area recently when it wandered into the neighborhood.
Daisy explained that the elephant was trying to pull down a coconut tree nearby. It then rushed towards Biju after making loud noises. Daisy retreated into her house when she saw this happening.
Daisy told reporters that both she and Biju initially went out together upon hearing the elephant near their home early in the morning. However, after returning home once, Biju went back to the road near their house because the elephant was still making loud noises.
With tears in her eyes, Daisy recounted how the elephant abruptly rushed towards Biju and seized him with its trunk, throwing him to the ground twice.
She said that the elephant ran away into the forest afterward.
“As there was no response, I went to the spot and saw him lying motionless on the floor,” Daisy continued. After a police squad arrived on the scene, Biju’s body was taken to Kottayam Medical College.
Health Minister Veena George visited Biju’s home later that day and offered consolation to his family. She gave them her word that the family would receive sufficient compensation from the government as soon as feasible.
To recover from the loss caused by the wild elephant attack, the locals staged a strong protest in the area. They demanded compensation money for the victim’s family and a job opportunity for one of their family members.
During a meeting between local representatives, district officials, and forest authorities, it was decided that the family of the deceased would receive a compensation of ₹10 lakh today itself.
Anto Antony, a Lok Sabha MP who attended the meeting, later informed reporters that the district collector would suggest to the government that ₹ 50 lakh be given to the family as compensation in accordance with the decision made during the meeting.
“They’ve decided to offer a temporary job at the forest office to one of Biju’s family members right away,” he said. “And they’ll also put forward a request for a permanent job to the government.”
The MP also mentioned that they’ve decided to install solar fencing and dig trenches along the edges of the forest to prevent such incidents in the future. They aim to implement this decision as soon as possible.
In recent months, Kerala has unfortunately experienced a series of deaths caused by wild elephant attacks.
On March 28, a tribal woman lost her life when she was trampled by a wild elephant in a remote forest area that lies between Wayanad and Malappuram districts.
On February 16, a forest watcher named Paul, aged 50, was trampled by a wild elephant while he was en route to his work at Kuruva in Wayanad district.
Just a week prior to that incident, Aji, a 42-year-old resident of Wayanad, was also trampled by a radio-collared elephant in Mananthavady, sparking widespread protests in the district.
At Tholpetty, in the same district, a wild tusker killed 65-year-old Lakshmanan, an estate watcher, in January.
In the first week of March, a woman named Indira Ramakrishnan lost her life in an elephant attack in the forested and mountainous region of Idukki district in central Kerala.
In December last year, Prajeesh, aged 36, was attacked and mauled by a tiger near a forest area in Vakeri, Wayanad.
The Kerala government has been attempting to alter the Wildlife (Protection) Act, noting difficulties the state has encountered in addressing cases of wild animals encroaching into residential areas.
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