KOCHI/ THRISSUR: The death of a farmer in wild elephant attack at Vettilappara near Athirappilly in Thrissur district has brought to fore the ever escalating human-wildlife conflict in Kerala.
Three persons have lost their lives in wild elephant attacks in the state during the past week putting pressure on Shibu Baby John, the new forest minister to address the grievances of farmers.
The minister who assured concrete steps was guarded in his reaction while saying there is no simple solution for the human wildlife conflict. But it has to be noted that the escalating conflict was one of the prime issues that made the previous LDF government unpopular in the state.
Mohanan, 62, of Pullarkatt in Vaissery near Athirappilly, had stepped outside the house hearing the trumpeting of an elephant. According to local residents, an elephant was roaming the area for the past one week and though they had alerted the Rapid Response Team (RRT), no action was taken to drive away the aggressive pachyderm.
“The incident happened around 2.45am. Mohanan lit a torch to scare away the elephant which was feeding on a coconut tree it uprooted near his brother Girish’s house. The elephant charged at Mohanan who was standing on the courtyard of his house and he didn’t get the time to flee. The elephant hit Mohanan with its trunk and trampled him in no time. He died on the spot,” said Athirappilly panchayat president K Satheesh Kumar.
“I was present at the spot and was recording the elephant on my mobile phone. We rushed Mohanan to the hospital, but he was already dead,” said Stephen, a neighbour.
According to Satheesh, the rogue elephant had attacked three people during the past one week. It had attacked two people riding a two-wheeler three days back.
They escaped with injuries. The local residents staged a road blockade on the Chalakudy-Valparai interstate highway at 10am demanding to translocate the elephant which was posing a threat to their lives. Chalakudy MLA Saneesh Kumar Joseph also joined the protest and contacted the forest minister demanding immediate steps to reduce the conflict.
“The minister has assured to reach Chalakudy on Monday and hold a meeting to discuss the issue. Thrissur chief conservator of forest, R Adalarasan, has assured to translocate the elephant. We ended the road blockade after receiving the assurance. If the government fails to find a permanent solution, the residents of Athirappilly will be forced to intensify the protest,” said Satheesh.
As many as 20 people have died in wild elephant attacks in Thrissur district since 2022.
Recent deaths in elephant attacks
May 24: Pushpakaran Vellakayyan, 52, Ponganchuvadu, Edamalayar, Ernakulam
May 26: Jessy, 40, Puthumala, Meppadi, Wayanad