Seven people have died in just a few weeks crushed by elephants or run over by bisons. More than 55,000 attacks have been reported in the past eight years, with fears about wildlife are growing, even close to inhabited areas. For Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil, the current approach to the problem “does not value human life”.
Kochi (AsiaNews) – Attacks by wild animals in Kerala are rising, with several people killed over the past few weeks, causing concern in local communities, frustrated with the failure of the authorities to prevent human-wildlife conflicts.
In the latest incidents, two people were reportedly killed by wild animals in Thrissur and Kozhikode.
Valsala, a 64-year-old woman married to a local tribal chief, Rajan, had travelled to the Peringalkuthu forest to gather fruits, but was trampled to death by an elephant that locals call Manjakomban with a past of causing problems.
In another incident, in Kozhikode, a 70-year-old man, Pallat Abraham, from Kakkayam, was killed in a bison attack while passing through a farm near a dam site road. The animal gored him, and left barely alive; he died shortly thereafter in hospital.
On Monday, Indira Ramakrishnan, 70, was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Kanjiraveli, Idukki. In another incident, a herd of elephants entered the home of a welfare officer at the Athirappilly Plantation Corporation; fortunately, no one was home and only furniture and other items were damaged.
With the latest fatalities, the death toll in the past five weeks from human-animal conflict in Kerala has reached seven: three in Wayanad, two in Idukki, and one each in Ernakulam and Thrissur. The situation has sparked angry protests by the local population.
A few weeks ago, reacting to the first incident, Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil said that the loss of human life from wild animal attacks was unjustified.
In the case the prelate was referring to, the elephant had been moved from the neighbouring state of Karnataka and had been equipped with a radio collar.
For the archbishop, such tragedies put the state to shame; hence, he urged state authorities to take immediate measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.
“An approach that does not value human life over animal life does not belong to a civilised society,” he said, regretting that the government still had no special plans to ensure the safety of the people living in Kerala’s hilly areas.
In the past eight years, 55,839 wild animal attacks on humans have been recorded with the loss of as many 910 lives. Over the years, the number and intensity of such attacks have increased.
Wild animals such as tigers, elephants, bears, and wild boars often enter human dwellings endangering people and property.
What is more, incidents are now frequent not only near forested areas but also far from them.