Radio-collared wild elephant tramples man to death in Kerala’s Wayanad

Ajeesh’s death sparked protests as thousands of people stormed the streets of Mananthavady, bringing the town to a standstill, alleging inaction on the part of forest and revenue officials. Prohibitory orders were imposed in four divisions under the Mananthavady municipality in the wake of the elephant’s presence in the region.

I am shocked by the untimely demise of Panachiyil Aji from Payyampally, Mananthavady who succumbed to a fatal attack by an elephant.

Another life has been tragically lost in Wayanad due to a wildlife attack. He was the sole breadwinner of his family and the primary caregiver to…

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 10, 2024

CCTV visuals showed Ajeesh jumping over the closed gate of a house to escape the elephant which has been roaming in the region. Soon after he entered the courtyard of the house, the elephant broke through the gate and wall and entered the premises. It then trampled Ajeesh to death before walking towards a piece of land behind the house.

Locals rushed Ajeesh to the district hospital at Mananthavady but he could not be saved. They then took out a march through the town carrying Ajeesh’s body, demanding that the elephant be shot.

The elephant was captured and radio-collared by the Karnataka forest department in November 2023 before it was released in a forest bordering Kerala. Forest Minister A K Saseendran told the media that necessary directions have been given to officials to tranquilise the elephant and admitted there was delay in tracking the elephant due to disruption in getting signals from the radio collar.

Locals, however, alleged that forest officials did not act even after being alerted about the elephant in the region.

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said there were major lapses on the part of the government. “This year, this is the third death due to an attack by wild animals in Wayanad. The forest department has failed in addressing the issue. The family of the victim should be given a compensation of Rs 50 lakh,” he said.

Two weeks ago, another radio-collared wild elephant had strayed into Mananthavady town, sparking panic among people for a day. The elephant, which was radio-collared by the Karnataka forest department, was tranquilised before being shifted to Bandipur forest. However, it died soon after being taken to Bandipur.