KOCHI: Tribal people are traditionally forest dwellers who have good knowledge of the behaviour of wild animals. However, surprisingly, 11 of the 13 people killed by wild elephants this year are from tribal communities. Among them were those who regularly collected forest produce and were well adapted to the habitat and the movement of wild animals.
Senior forest officers say they have held awareness campaigns in tribal settlements urging community members to be cautious and avoid moving around the forest during night hours. The large number of deaths among tribal people is puzzling. The forest department has deployed rapid response teams (RRTs) along forest fringes and strengthened their patrolling. Authorities say it is not practical to increase surveillance inside the forest as the settlements are spread out.
Alcoholism and use of mobile phones, that reduce the sensory acumen to understand the presence of wild animals, have been blamed for the increase in deaths. The authorities have urged the residents not to move around in forest areas during night hours after consuming alcohol or enjoying music from mobile phones.
“The behaviour of wild animals has changed and this can be attributed to climate change and increased human activity. The forest habitat and circumstances have changed,” said wildlife expert Dr P S Easa.
“Tribals are ecosystem people and we are striving hard to ensure their safety. In an attempt to involve tribal communities in conflict mitigation efforts, we are planning to launch a sensitisation & knowledge-sharing programme, called Gotra Bheri, from March 5. Under the programme, forest officials will visit settlements and hold discussions with members of all 36 tribal communities to understand their traditional knowledge and revisit our perception on mitigating human-wildlife conflict. Aralam was an elephant habitat even before the tribals were rehabilitated there. Our teams have been camping there to ensure their protection,” chief wildlife warden Pramod G Krishnan said.
Aralam, doomed tribal land
As many as 16 tribal people have died in elephant attacks in Aralam farm since 2014. On Sunday, an elderly couple were trampled to death in the area.
The forest department had vehemently opposed the plan to rehabilitate tribals in Aralam citing its importance as an elephant habitat. However, the political leadership ignored the report submitted by the department and went ahead with the plan. As many as 3,502 families were allocated one acre of land each at Aralam farm, but 10 years on, only 1,200 families remain. Most of the families fled the area following frequent elephant attacks.
The Aralam wild life sanctuary shares its border with the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Kodagu district of Karnataka. “The elephants that are chased away from Brahmagiri take refuge in Aralam. As the terrain is flat and there is an abundance of food, the elephants have made it their habitat. The argument that Aralam is an elephant habitat is wrong. There was no elephant in the area before 2013,” said Prince Devasia, a farmer.
“The tribals tread very cautiously inside the forest and we have the traditional knowledge to sense the presence and behaviour of wild animals. Forest authorities are offering lame excuses for their failure to drive the wild elephants back into the forest. They don’t honour the lives of tribals. Though the government has announced a compensation of `10 lakh to the relatives of elephant attack victims, none of the families have received even half the amount,” said Gotra Maha Sabha leader C K Janu.
The office of Tribal Welfare Minister O R Kelu said steps have been taken to expedite the construction of the 10.5-km-long elephant protection wall along the Aralam farm boundary. “We are planning to complete the structure by March 31. After that we will drive the elephants back into the woods,” an official said.
“There are around 30 elephants camping inside the farm and we are unable to step out of our homes even during daytime. A makhna (tuskless) elephant is the killer elephant. The forest department should either shoot it or tranquillise and shift it out of the farm. There is no drinking water available in our settlement and we are collecting water from a nearby stream where elephants roam. We can be killed any time,” said Mallika, a tribal of the Aralam settlement.
Victims of wild jumbo attacks this year
Jan 4: Mani, 37, Karulai, Nilambur, Malappuram (Tribal)
Jan 8: Vishnu, 22, Pulpally, Wayanad (Tribal)
Jan 15: Sarojini, 52, Uchakkulam, Nilambur, Malappuram (Tribal)
Jan 24: Jamsheed, 37, Devarshola, Wayanad
Jan 26: Annalakshmi, 67, Idiyar Estate, Thrissur (Tribal)
Feb 6: Vimal, 57, Marayur, Idukki (Tribal)
Feb 10: Babu, 54, Venkolla, Palode, Thiruvananthapuram (Tribal)
Feb 10: Sophia Ismail, 45, Peruvanthanam, Idukki
Feb 10: Manu, 45, Noolpuzha, Wayanad (Tribal)
Feb 12:Balan, 27, Attamala, Meppadi, Wayanad (Tribal)
Feb 19: Prabhakaran, 58, Thamaravellichal, Peechi, Thrissur (Tribal)
Feb 23:Velli, 80, Aralam farm, Kannur (Tribal)
Feb 23: Leela, 72, Aralam farm, Kannur (Tribal)
PLEA SEEKS URGENT MEASURES IN ARALAM FARM
Kochi: A petition has been filed with the Kerala High Court seeking a directive to the state government to immediately drive out wild elephants from the human-inhabited Aralam farm area and to strengthen temporary defensive mechanisms, including electric fencing and trenching, on an urgent basis.
The petitioner, Baiju Paul Mathews from Wayanad, said he filed the petition in response to multiple fatal and non-fatal elephant attacks in Aralam farm, in Kannur, including the tragic incident on February 23, in which two tribal inhabitants lost their lives.
Despite public assurances and official decisions to construct a robust fence/barrier and implement effective elephant-deterrent measures, these remain incomplete or are poorly implemented. According to the petitioner, a total of 20 deaths have been reported since 2014, primarily due to elephant attacks.
Reports indicate that over 50 elephants are within the farm/settlement area, posing a threat to life and property. The petitioner also sought a directive to the state government to temporarily relocate tribal families to safer accommodations until fencing and other protective measures are effectively implemented.