Kerala: Man Trampled To Death By Wild Elephant In Kuttampuzha, Locals Protest Over Man-Animal Conflict

The death of Eldose came to light after a local resident found a disfigured body sparking outrage among villagers.

Angry locals staged a massive protest blaming forest officials for their alleged failure to mitigate the rising human-animal conflict in the region.

Source : Pexels

Tension gripped Kuttampuzha, a forest-fringe village, after a 40-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant on Monday night. The deceased, identified as Eldose, a resident of Knachery, met the end while walking home after alighting from a KSRTC bus in Urulanthanni under Kuttampuzha panchayat of Ernakulam.

The death of Eldose came to light after a local resident found a disfigured body sparking outrage among villagers, as per a report on PTI. Eldose, a bachelor, was the sole breadwinner for his family, which includes his elderly parents and a sister.

Angry locals staged a massive protest blaming forest officials for their alleged failure to mitigate the rising human-animal conflict in the region. The protestors refused to allow authorities to shift Eldose’s body for several hours. They demanded immediate compensation for the family and a long-term solution to prevent such incidents.

The protest escalated with District Collector NSK Umesh and local representatives facing the villagers’ ire. The Collector was seen pleading with folded hands urging the crowd to permit the body’s transfer to the hospital. Following this, he assured the family of Rs 10 lakh compensation and announced a review meeting on December 27 to address the ongoing conflict and related concerns.

Meanwhile, forest officials have initiated work to construct a trench in the area to prevent wild animals from entering human settlements.

Eldose’s post-mortem was completed on Tuesday, and his body was handed over to the family. In response to the incident, a people’s hartal was called in Kothamangalam and Kuttampuzha, which is currently underway.

Man-Animal conflicts are a frequent occurence in many parts of Kerala including Wayanad. This incident has once again highlighted the urgent need for effective measures to address the human-wildlife conflict in forest-fringe villages.