IDUKKI: On February 14, 2016, Thankachan Joseph, a 54-year-old farmer in Korampara, Santhanpara panchayat of Idukki district, was attacked by Arikomban, a rogue tusker, while trying to drive away a six-member elephant herd that had strayed into his cardamom plantation. A scar just below his right chest serves as a reminder of the attack that brought his life to a standstill.
“While lying there on the ground after I had slipped down I could see the elephant on top of me. But I did not scream because that would not have helped me. I knew my days on earth were over,” he said. After the attack, Joseph was taken to St John’s hospital in Kattappana.
“The medics cleaned up the wounds and stitched them. I came back home after 15 days,” he added. Thankachan considers himself lucky as most people don’t survive such attacks.
Although the forest department managed his hospital expenses, Joseph says he cannot do any farming activities due to the injuries he sustained during the attack.
As debates continue on whether to translocate or allow Arikomban to remain in its natural habitat, survivors like Thankachan who encounter wild elephants daily say they appreciate the majestic creatures from a distance, but acknowledge that elephants pose a significant threat to humans when they have to share space with them to make a living.
Similarly, in the same village, 55-year-old Siranjeevi, a farmer, lost his 45-year-old wife Vimala when she was trampled by an elephant on a cardamom plantation in Thalakkulam on July 21, 2021.
Since her death, Siranjeevi and his two sons have been leading a difficult life. He claims that it was Arikomban who killed his wife and believes that if the elephant were captured and translocated, over 60% of the issues in the area could be brought under control.
“Life is too miserable here. The farmers are waging a war with wild elephants every day to make ends meet. In the conflict, it is mostly humans who suffer,” he said.
Santhanpara panchayat president Liju Varghese said over 100 houses have been damaged in wild elephant attacks in Santhanpara and Chinnakkanal areas in the last 15 years, with Arikomban alone responsible for 11 deaths. The panchayats plan to implead in the case pending before the HC, with former Idukki MP Joyce George representing the local bodies. If the HC order is not favourable, severe protests will be organised in Idukki, he said.