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IDUKKI: With the Forest Department temporarily calling off its efforts to drive away wild elephants from human-inhabited areas in Munnar, elephant herds have started to make a comeback posing threat to the life and property of residents of Chinnakkanal and Marayur grama panchayats.
Though no casualty has been reported, rogue elephants have been causing damage to several houses, shops, vehicles and crops in the area for the past five days.
Apart from widespread attack on farmlands, a rogue tusker, popularly known as ‘Murivalan Komban,’ had caused partial damage to a ration shop and consumed foodgrain near Tea Estate lanes at Anayirangal during the early hours of Friday. Since the ration shop, owned by M M Raveendran was built with rock rubbles, it could not raze the walls of the building. The tusker later caused damage to a vehicle parked in front of it.
Though the residents tried to drive away the elephant, it stayed there for nearly three hours.
On Monday, a lone tusker had destroyed as many as 30 areca palm trees of Phalgunan of Karimutty at Marayur. Farmers in Marayur and Chinnakkanal areas had even blocked the traffic along Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway in protest against wild elephant menace. They called off protests after the Devikulam Forest Range Officer assured them of resuming the service of kumki elephants (trained elephants).
According to a farmer, the efforts of the Forest Department are not effective and their life is under threat owing to frequent jumbo attacks. “There are three tuskers – Arikomban or Onnarakomban, Chilli Komban, and Pathikkalan – which pose threat to the local people.
“Though the Forest Department had spent around `99 lakh for the one-week kumki operations, it was a failure in restraining or driving away these rogue elephants,” said P N Rajan, a resident of Singukandam. Meanwhile, Forest authorities said they will continue their efforts to prevent elephant menace in the area.
“We will resume kumki operations by Monday or Tuesday. We are planning to bring kumki jumbos from Konni and Kottur elephant parks,” said Devikulam range officer Nibu Kiran.
According to a local resident, the areas that are worst affected are Marayur, Singukandam, Muthamman Chola, Anayirangal, Thedeer Nagar, tribal colonies at 301, Panthadikkalam and 80-acre.
Wild elephant found dead
IDUKKI: A female wild elephant, aged around 30, was found dead in Thalayar tea estate in Munnar on Saturday.
According to Forest officials, the elephant died after falling from a slippery rock in the tea estate. The carcass was spotted by estate workers around 9 am under the Kadukumudi division of the estate near Munnar-Marayur road.
According to Devikulam forest range officer Nibu Kiran, the injury caused to the head during the fall might have led to the animal’s death. The carcass was burnt after conducting postmortem examination by a team led by assistant forest veterinary officer Abdul Fatha.