PALAKKAD: Sunday marked the 25th wedding anniversary of Joseph Mathew and Viji Joseph. And their son, Allen, 24, who worked at a hypermarket in Kollam, planned a surprise visit to make the occasion even more special for his father. An elephant attack late in the evening, however, turned tragic what was meant to be a joyous moment for the Kalathinkal family of Kayaramkode village in Palakkad district.
Accompanied by his mother Viji, 46, Allen was walking home from a nearby shop after buying milk, curd, and other groceries. The area had experienced heavy rain earlier in the evening and a power outage had turned the road, which runs close to a forest, dark. The duo used the flashlights on their phones to navigate the muddy path. Just then, a wild elephant emerged from the vegetation nearby and attacked them from behind.
“Viji’s shoulder blade was fractured but she narrowly escaped a fatal blow,” said V C Sivadasan, member of Mundur panchayat. The elephant then turned to Allen, knocking him down and driving its tusk into his chest.
“Despite her critical condition, Viji managed to call for help. Neighbours rushed them to the Palakkad District Hospital, but Allen was declared dead on arrival,” Sivadasan said.
Neighbours described Allen as a kind, ambitious young man who had plans to pursue a B.Ed and become a teacher.
“Allen was full of dreams. He wanted to support his parents and build a better life,” said Varghese K M, a close family friend who had moved away from Kayaramkode because of the repeated elephant intrusions in the area. As relatives and villagers gathered at their house, Joseph, a daily wage worker, stood motionless beside Varghese. His helplessness, the pain of Viji, and the silence of Allen’s elder sister Ann Maria – a well-known vlogger – were deeply moving.
Meanwhile, neighbours tied blue tarpaulins in front of the family’s asbestos-roofed home, preparing the space where Allen’s body will be kept for final rites on Tuesday morning.
Local residents said at least four people have died in the Mundur area alone in wild elephant attacks in a decade, highlighting the growing human-wildlife conflicts on the fringes of Kerala’s forests.
