Fatal Encounter with Wild Elephant Shakes Mananthavady

Fatal Encounter with Wild Elephant Shakes Mananthavady

VoM News Desk | February 10, 2024 | 01:19 PM IST | India, Kerala | Follow on Google News

Fatal Encounter with Wild Elephant Shakes Mananthavady

Fatal Encounter with Wild Elephant Shakes Mananthavady

Tragedy struck Mananthavady as a 42-year-old man lost his life in a harrowing encounter with a wild elephant that intruded into the human settlement on a Saturday morning. Aji, the victim, succumbed to injuries at Mananthavady Medical College after the attack took place around 7:30 am. CCTV footage captured the distressing incident, showing the wild elephant, equipped with a radio collar, damaging a house’s compound wall before assaulting the man.

Outcry Erupts as Locals Protest Man-animal Conflict

Angry residents staged a spontaneous protest, obstructing major roads like Mananthavady-Mysore, Mananthavady-Kozhikode, and Thalassery. The MLA and District police chief’s vehicles were halted, accompanied by protesters chanting ‘go back’ slogans. Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran expressed shock over the man’s death and acknowledged the growing concern about frequent man-animal conflicts in Wayanad. Just the night before, a forest wildlife watcher faced severe injuries in a tiger attack.

Government Mulls Action Amid Rising Tensions

Minister Saseendran revealed plans to dispatch more response teams to the area. The decision on whether to drive the elephant back into the forest or capture it for relocation to a rehabilitation center will be made soon. Addressing the Chief Minister’s involvement, Saseendran assured that the concerns of Wayanad’s people regarding animal attacks and crop loss were under scrutiny. Locals accused the forest department of failing to alert them about the elephant’s intrusion from Kerala’s border into Kuruvadweep, leading to prohibitory orders in multiple wards of Mananthavady. The incident follows a recent episode involving ‘Thanneer Komban,’ a radio-collared elephant from Karnataka, which entered Mananthavady town, was tranquilized, and unfortunately, died after being shifted back to Karnataka.

VoM News Desk

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