Youth Trampled to Death by Elephant in Palakkad

Palakkad: A man was killed in a wild elephant attack in Mundoor, Palakkad, on Sunday night, police said. Alan (25), a resident of Kayaramkodu, was trampled to death by the elephant, they added. His mother sustained serious injuries and has been admitted to the Palakkad District Hospital. The attack occurred around 8 PM while the mother and son were on their way home.

Locals rushed them to the hospital, but Alan could not be saved. His body has been shifted to the district hospital mortuary, police said. A probe has been launched to determine if there were any lapses, said the minister.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran stated that preventive measures were already in place in the area where the wild animal attack occurred. However, the elephant broke through the solar fencing, allowing two or three wild elephants to enter the residential area.

He announced that an inquiry will be launched to ascertain if there was any lapse on the part of forest officials in the Mundoor wild elephant attack that claimed the life of the youth on Sunday. The minister added that a review meeting was held with the District Collector and forest officials to assess the situation, and a report has been sought from the Collector. Forest officials have already identified the locations where the elephants are currently camping, he said.
More Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) will be deployed in the area, he added, emphasizing that the concerns of the public are being taken seriously and will not be ignored.
The region where the elephant attack occurred has a history of similar incidents, and precautionary measures had been put in place earlier.“It wouldn't be fair to say that actions aren't aligned with public expectations. However, it's clear that the measures taken to deter wild animals have been ineffective,” he admitted.

Efforts to restore normalcy in the affected areas are ongoing under the leadership of the District Collector, the minister added. “Although several measures have been adopted to prevent wild animal attacks, it's evident that there has been little noticeable improvement so far,” he said.

He also mentioned that an alternative approach, known as “Ele-fencing,” has been identified to tackle the threat posed by wild animals. This method is currently being tested at two locations in Wayanad, and if found effective, steps will be taken to implement it on a wider scale, Saseendran said.

Reacting to the incident, the ruling CPI M party has called for a hartal in the Mundoor area, alleging that the forest department failed to alert the public even after wild elephants had taken shelter in the Mundoor–Kayaramkodu region.