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Tag: Wayanad elephant attack

  • Day after jumbo assault kills girl, resort in Kerala’s Wayanad closed down

    Express News Service
    KOZHIKODE: The Wayanad district administration has ordered the closure of the resort and homestay at Elimbileri in Meppadi, the place a younger girl was killed by a wild elephant on Saturday night time. According to panchayat authorities, the resort didn’t have licence for operation and permission to arrange tents close to the forest. 

    District Collector Adeela Abdulla, who inspected the Rainforest Resort together with Wayanad DFO and Vythiri tahsildar, mentioned: “The property didn’t have proper safety facilities. Also, the homestay operates in a landslide-prone area. The resort has been ordered to close down immediately. We will inspect all the nearby resorts in the coming days and take necessary actions in case of breach of law.”

    Shahana Kallarapurayil (26), a local of Cheleri in Kannur, was trampled to demise by a wild elephant round 8 pm on Saturday. 

    Shahana was attacked when she got here out of the tent after having meals. Two others, who had been together with her, escaped after they ran to security. Though she was rushed to a non-public medical school hospital in Meppadi, her life couldn’t be saved.

    She was a visitor lecturer at Darunnujoom Arts and Science College in Perambra. Meppadi grama panchayat president Omana Ramesh mentioned from the first investigation by newly-elected panchayat council, it’s learnt that the resort didn’t have a licence. 

    “The resort didn’t have the permission to set up tents as well. The resort is located near the forest and there is a wild animal threat in the region. The panchayat in collaboration with forest department will investigate more details in the case,” mentioned Meppadi grama panchayat president Omana Ramesh.

    According to a police officer, there have been 30 vacationers within the resort, together with these staying within the tents, on the time of the incident. “The victim, her cousin and a friend came for a one-day stay in the resort. According to the duo, they were sitting in front of the tent when the elephant suddenly attacked them. While they had a narrow escape, the elephant crushed Shahana to death. The property is surrounded by dense forest. The other tourists shouted and cried loud and the elephant returned to forest soon after the attack,” the officer mentioned.

    No licence

    From the first probe by the panchayat council, it’s learnt that the resort didn’t have a licence. 

  • Wayanad elephant assault: With 20 human deaths final yr, it’s a unending man-animal battle

    Express News Service
    KOZHIKODE: The loss of life of a younger lady, who was trampled by a wild elephant, in Wayanad has as soon as once more delivered to the fore the never-ending human-wildlife battle. This month itself, a plantation property labourer, Parvathi Parashuraman, died after she was attacked by an elephant at Kunnambatta close to Meppadi in Wayanad whereas returning dwelling after work. In 2020, 20 individuals had been killed in wild elephant assaults within the state. 

    The determine was 15 in 2019. At the identical time, of the 113 wild elephant deaths in Kerala forests final yr, 11 had been unnatural – electrocution, looking or by explosives – the place people performed a direct function. 

    “Whatever barrier we place between humans and elephants – elephant-proof trenches, walls and rail fences as well as solar fences – elephants somehow overcome it. They are intelligent enough to find a loophole,” stated Chief Wildlife Warden Surendrakumar. 

    “Earlier generations had a tolerance level which led to them sharing wildlife space with wild animals. They knew that the space belongs to animals too. Now, people have become intolerable to an extent similar to the India-Pakistan border situation,” he stated.

    Three elephant hotspots

    BN Anjan Kumar, Conservator of Forests and Technical Assistant to Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, stated there are three elephant hotspots within the state the place jumbo intervention is extra frequent. “They are Aralam and Wayanad and Palakkad districts (excluding Nenmara and Parambikulam divisions). Of them, Aralam is the major hotspot,” he stated.

    Two individuals, embrace a tribal youth, died in jumbo assaults at Aralam. Sources stated frequent jumbo-human conflicts in Aralam are a results of the allotting of land between Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS) and Aralam Farming Corporation (Kerala) Ltd (AFCL) to tribal individuals. 

    “Before AWS was set up, the entire area was an elephant corridor. Later, the government allotted 3,500 acres of AFCL to 1,500 tribal people. The forest department was against allotting the elephant corridor space for human settlement. Around 800 people live in the settlement, leaving 70 per cent of the land as forest land. The remaining land of AFCL has plenty of crops like cocoa, jackfruit and pineapple which attract elephants. Hence, the animals sneak into ‘human settlements’,” stated a supply. 

    AWS Wildlife Warden Shajna Karim stated the terrain is undulated with hills. “Elephants prefer plain land and, hence, sneak into farms and tribal settlements. We have 24×7 patrolling here throughout the year. Since there is only a narrow road, there is no way to take a U-turn if an elephant appears suddenly,” Shajna stated.

    The forest workforce lately got here nose to nose with a herd of elephants simply 10m away. “If there is calf in the herd, we have to wait for several hours to drive them away,” she stated. 

    Unsafe tent led to Shahana’s loss of life

    The loss of life of Shahana (26) at Rainforest resort in Wayanad is learnt to be precipitated because of her staying in a tent which had no security measure. “Staying in a tent is part of adventure tourism and the tourism department has categorised 30 such adventure tourism activities. Tailor-made guidelines for tenting are yet to be issued. However, resorts are taking advantage of tents during Covid times as they are cheap and can be set up easily,” stated B Anand, secretary, Wayanad District Tourism Promotion.

    Wild elephant deaths in 2020

    Deaths attributable to jumbo assaults