IDUKKI: It was during the state forest department’s mammoth mission of capturing and translocating wild elephant Arikomban that a tribal couple from Vilakku, Chinnakkanal, grabbed media headlines.
Despite being attacked by Arikomban in 2010 and seriously injuring his right shoulder in the process, 68-year-old Thomas and his wife Vijayamma questioned the department’s move, demanding that the tusker be left to its natural habitat in Chinnakkanal.
As it transpired, Arikomban was moved to a better habitat and the dust kicked up the controversy settled.
In the meantime, the couple also saw their circumstances improve as members of the Kochi-based Arikomban Fans Association sponsored a container home near their makeshift shed in Vilakku six months ago.
Thomas says that ever since they were resettled in Chinnakkanal after the government allotted them an acre of land in 2003, the elephant menace had been rampant in the area.
“Over the past 21 years, wild elephants have demolished our makeshift shed at least six times, with most of the attacks being spearheaded by Murivalan, a tusker which died around six months ago,” he said
It was around midnight on November 1, 2010, that Thomas was attacked by Arikomban when he was returning home after selling lottery tickets. “I pleaded with him to leave me alone. However, he dug his tusk into my left shoulder and flung me away. I managed to make a phone call to local residents seeking help. And I was shifted to a nearby hospital,” he tells TNIE.
Thomas says that although he has been witness to the destruction wrought by wild elephants, he never bears any ill feeling towards them. “Being born into the Mala Arayan tribal community in Idukki’s Peermade, we have always inhabited the reserve forest there and coexisted with wild animals.
Jumbos have always strayed onto the sprawling Shola grasslands in Chinnakkanal and they continue to roam the area. There used to be around 63 jumbos in the Chinnakkanal area, but the numbers have now dwindled to around 20,” Vijayamma points out.
She said that they demanded leaving Arikomban in Chinnakkanal because compared to other wild elephants in the area he wasn’t a trouble-maker. “However, wittingly or otherwise all the blame fell on him,” she said
It was through social media and news reports that fans association members came to know about the couple. “On hearing our plight of repeatedly losing our makeshift hut to jumbos, the members decided to extend a helping hand. They set up the container home six months ago and we have not been at the receiving end of jumbo attacks since,” she stresses.
They have applied for an electricity connection for the new house. “We hope to get it soon,” Vijayamma adds.