KOZHIKODE: With the death of Padamala native Ajeesh Joseph, 47, four people have lost their lives in wild animal attacks -- three involving elephants and one by a tiger -- in Wayanad in the last four months.
On November 4, Cholamala Kunjavaran, 58, a plantation labourer from Elimbileri was killed in an elephant attack near Meppady. On December 9, a 36-year-old dairy farmer Prajeesh died in a tiger attack in Vakeri, in the Chedalath range forest.
On January 31, Lakshmanan, 65, of Pannikkal tribal colony was found dead near Tholpetty. Lakshmanan, who worked as an estate watchman, was missing for two days. In the subsequent search, his body was found near the estate. The forest department and police later confirmed that Lakshmanan was killed by a wild elephant.
While Kerala’s forest department is blaming Karnataka’s officials for not alerting them to the presence of radio-collared elephants, Thanneer Komban and Belur Maghna, along the border, Opposition parties are intensifying their protests against the state government for the repeated wild animal attacks in Wayanad. Protesters from different political parties and farmer associations blockaded roads, the Wayanad SP’s vehicle, and the sub-collector’s office in Mananthavady.
“The presence of the elephant was confirmed in the Mananthavady area days back. But there was no action on the part of the department,” said Manoj N, a Padamala resident.
Meanwhile, experts say more wild animal attacks can be expected in the upcoming summer season. The Wayanad forest region is a vast area that shares forest boundaries of the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Wild animal sightings are common in Wayanad during the summer when water availability and food sources in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu decline.
“The human-wildlife conflict is likely to increase in the coming months. When one state captures animals and releases them back into the wild, there is a good chance of them crossing into other states,” said Dr Easwaran Krishnan, retired chief forest veterinary officer, Kerala forest department.
Such situations can be managed only if a special team is formed with the involvement of the three states.
Frequent communication is also needed on a daily basis. Radio collars alone won’t help in real-time monitoring, he said. “Signals are received only an hour apart, by which time an elephant can cover up to 15km. It is difficult to track elephants in the dense forest and determine in which direction they are moving,” Dr Easwaran added.