KALPETTA: The recurring threat of man-animal conflict in Wayanad has intensified fear among residents of Poolakunnu Tribal Settlement in Erumakolli, after 67-year-old Arumugan Perumal was killed in a wild elephant attack near Meppadi. A resident of the tribal settlement, Arumugan became the fourth victim of a wild elephant in the district in the past 14 months.
In February, 27-year-old Balakrishnan, son of Karuppan from the Erattukundu Paniya tribe at Attamala in Meppadi panchayat, lost his life in a similar attack. Manu, 45, of the Kappad Kattunayakan tribe in Chettyalathur, Noolpuzha, was also trampled by a wild elephant.
Earlier this year, on January 8, 22-year-old Vishnu, a native of Karnataka, was killed by an elephant in the Pathiri Reserve Forest.
A widower, Arumugan had been living alone in Meppadi while his two children reside in Tamil Nadu. Hailing from Tirunelveli, he had been working in the Elimbileri Estate for the past 30 years. On Thursday around 9 pm, Arumugan was attacked by an elephant just 200 metres from his home while returning after buying household items. “We heard elephants nearby but never expected such a tragedy. When Arumugan didn’t return, we searched and eventually found his body,” said Krishnan, a local resident.
The body was handed over to relatives on Friday after postmortem examination at Sultan Bathery Taluk Hospital. An immediate relief of Rs 5 lakh was provided to the family.
Angered by the increasing incidents of attacks, local residents staged a protest on Thursday night. The situation was brought under control after a meeting with South Wayanad Divisional Forest Officer Ajith K Raman. “Nothing has changed in nine years since my father died in a similar attack,” said Vishnu Prasad, a local resident. “Elephants continue to roam in tea estates like Elimbileri, Kadur, and Chembra on the forest fringes. Workers live in constant fear. Arumugan was killed while returning home at night.”
Vishnu also alleged that despite assurances of Rs 10 lakh in compensation and a government job after his father’s death, his family received only Rs 5 lakh. “I’ve been following up with the forest department, but there has been no progress,” he said.
Following the latest incident, residents renewed demands for capturing the elephant using tranquilliser shots.
Authorities have issued an order to tranquilise the elephant, subject to conditions. In the initial phase, efforts will be made to drive the elephants back into the forest using kumki elephants. If that fails, they will be captured with the help of kumki elephants from Muthanga.