A tragic incident unfolded in Kerala’s Idukki district as a 70-year-old woman fell victim to a wild elephant attack on Monday. Indira Ramakrishnan, a resident of Kanjiraveli village in Adimali panchayat, was trampled to death while tending to her sheep on her farmland. This marks the fifth fatal elephant attack in Idukki this year, reflecting a worrying trend of human-wildlife conflict in the region.
The relentless spate of elephant attacks has also plagued Wayanad district, where three individuals have lost their lives to similar incidents this year alone, exacerbating concerns over public safety and wildlife management.
Incensed by the tragic event, a group of residents, led by Congress MP Dean Kuriakose and MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan, staged a protest with the victim’s body, decrying what they perceive as negligence on the part of Forest Department officials amidst escalating human-animal conflicts. Demanding immediate action, protesters prevented police from conducting an inquest and insisted on the presence of senior forest authorities at the site.
The hilly terrains of Ernakulam district, particularly areas like Kothamangalam, are also witnessing a rise in animal attacks, particularly by elephants. In the past two months, four fatalities have been recorded in Munnar, Idukki’s hill station, due to encounters with wild elephants.
The situation reached a boiling point in Wayanad following the death of a local forest protection committee member in a wild elephant attack in Pulpally on February 16. The incident prompted widespread protests, underscoring the urgency of addressing the escalating human-wildlife conflicts in the region.