Woman killed in elephant attack at Edavanna

A woman lost her life at Edavanna near Nilambur on Thursday after being attacked by a wild elephant. The incident occurred when forest officials were trying to herd the elephant back into the forest, triggering a protest from the local residents.

Kalyani Amma, 64, from Chathallur, Edavanna, was fatally attacked by the elephant within Kodumbuzha forest station. The elephant had been hit by a rubber bullet fired a by forest staff. While running in panic, the elephant struck Kalyani Amma with its trunk before trampling her.

Local people had previously complained to the Forest department about the wild elephant that was damaging crops in the area. The forest officials were trying to drive the elephant away when the attack occurred.

On learning about the forest staff’s action through social media, Kalyani Amma went to check if some children were bathing in a nearby stream. She encountered the elephant on her way to the stream about 100 meters from her house.

She died on the way to hospital. Her body was released to the family after a postmortem at Government Medical College Hospital, Manjeri.

Sources said that Kalyani Amma had become the 42nd victim of wild animal attack on the forest fringes in Malappuram district. P.K. Basheer, MLA, demanded that immediate compensation be paid to her family.