Elephant kills man in Kerala, third incident in a month

Mangalore Today News Network

Idukki, Feb 27, 2024: A 44-year-old man was killed by a wild elephant near the tourist town of Munnar in Idukki district. This is the third such incident in the state within a month after two people died in Wayanad amid increasing incidents of human-animal conflicts.

 

Police said the victim of the latest attack that occurred on Monday night at the Kannimala estate has been identified as Suresh Kumar, an autorickshaw driver.

At the time of the attack, there were four people travelling in the autorickshaw -- a woman and her daughter and two labourers, the police said.

The elephant, who was standing on the road, toppled the autorickshaw, trapping the people underneath it. While the four had a narrow escape, Kumar was attacked by the animal.

Speaking to the media after the incident, the woman said that the elephant took Kumar with its trunk and tossed him at least three times.

The police said the attack left Kumar critically injured and he while being taken to a hospital.

In response to the latest incident, the state’s ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has called for a strike, demanding an end to the rising cases of human-animal conflicts in Kerala.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has also announced a roadblock in the area to protest against the attack.

On February 10, a 42-year-old resident of the remote Chaligaddah hamlet in Wayanad, was trampled to death while trying to escape an elephant that had entered his compound.

Local residents staged protests which led to the administration announcing an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for Ajeesh’s family and a government job for his wife.

His father demanded the resignation of Kerala Forest Minister K. Saseendran and take responsibility for the fatal attack.

Six days later, V. Paul, an ecotourism guide, was attacked by an elephant in the Cheriyamala forests. He died at the Kozhikode Medical College.

Kerala is estimated to have over 6,000 wild elephants in its reserve forests and another 700 captive elephants.

Authorities have identified 49 villages where human-animal conflict is rampant --18 in Wayanad, 14 in Idukki, 10 in Palakkad and seven in Pathanamthitta.

Courtesy: India Today