Kerala tribal family has narrow escape after wild tusker destroys their shed

A tribal family of four, including two children, had a narrow escape after a wild tusker reportedly pulled down the shed in which they were sleeping at Anandamkudy in Pinavoorkudy ward of Kuttampuzha panchayat near Kothamangalam along the eastern suburbs of the Ernakulam district in Kerala on Wednesday around 1 a.m. The shed was completely damaged in the incident.

Kuttampuzha panchayat remains one of the worst affected panchayats from human-animal conflict in Ernakulam district. The issue has taken a huge toll on life, livelihood, and property in the area.

“Anandamkudy is prone to frequent invasion by wild elephants. In this case, the attack was by a lone tusker, which is a constant presence in the area,” said Bineesh Narayanan, Pinavoorkudy ward member.

The ward witnessed a tragic incident in which a 45-year-old man, Eldhose, was trampled to death by a wild tusker at Urulanthanni while walking back home after reaching the area by a KSRTC bus on the night of December 16, 2024. The incident had led to massive protests running into hours by the local people before they allowed the body to be taken away.

In another incident on November 28, 2024, three women who had gone missing while in search of one of their missing cows got stranded in a dense forest at Attikalam in Anakkayam division of Kuttampuzha panchayat after they lost way and got surrounded by a herd of elephants. They took refuge in an elevated place and were rescued the next day after 15 hours of frenetic search.

Though elephant attacks receive wide media coverage, Kuttampuzha panchayat is not alien to raids by a wide range of animals from wild boars, monkeys, peacocks and even squirrels. For instance, growing fruit trees has become near-impossible owing to frequent attacks by troops of monkeys.

Published - May 28, 2025 01:26 pm IST