Last week, Aji (42) was trampled to death by an elephant in the Mananthavady area of the district triggering massive protests in Wayanad.
Representative image of a wild tusker.
Shops remained closed and vehicles were kept off the roads in Kerala’s Wayanad on Saturday, 17 February, where the ruling LDF, opposition UDF and BJP have called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal seeking permanent solutions to the wild elephant menace in the region.
Angry agitators blocked the vehicular traffic along the major routes in the district that connect Karnataka and other parts of the state a day after an eco-tourism guide of the forest department died after being attacked by an elephant near Kuruva island.
Paul encountered the elephant while stationed near the Eco Tourism centre to turn away people from the area due to the ongoing operation to capture the jumbo which had trampled to death another man last Saturday.
Last week, Aji (42) was trampled to death by an elephant in the Mananthavady area of Wayanad triggering massive protests in Wayanad.
Locals had gathered in large numbers and demanded that the state government take action and provide compensation to the victim’s family.
Major towns like Kalpetta, Bathery, Mananthavady, Lakidi and other places saw a complete shutdown on Saturday.
Meanwhile, state Forest Minister AK Saseendran termed as “unfortunate” the death of Paul and assured that necessary help would be provided to his family.
The elusive pachyderm is yet to be caught despite the Forest department roping in several Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), “kumki” elephants and even a thermal camera to detect the animal in the dense forests in the area.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
May 15, 2024
May 15, 2024
May 15, 2024
May 15, 2024
May 14, 2024
May 14, 2024
