Forest officials have started digging trenches and putting up solar fences around the periphery of areas marking the panchayat and the reserve forces.
A wild elephant trampled a 40-year-old man to death near Kothamangalam in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on Monday night, sparking protests by locals who demanded permanent solutions to end the human-animal conflict in the area.
The victim was identified as Eldhose Kodiyatt, a native of Knachary in Kuttampuzha panchayat. This area is close to deep forests, part of the Kothamangalam forest division, and home to elephants and other wild animals.
Kodiyatt, a casual worker, was walking towards his home after deboarding a bus at Urulanthanni when the wild tusker attacked him reportedly without provocation around 9 pm Monday, police and locals said.
Locals say that the one-kilometer stretch from the bus stop to Eldhose’s home had street lights, but none worked. His remains were found by a passer-by who informed the forest and police officials.Maneesh is a neighbor of Eldhose who was among the first persons to reach the spot and see his remains.
He told reporters that it was a horrifying sight. His body was torn into pieces. I got scared but managed to inform the forest officials and other locals. Eldhose perhaps didn’t know that the elephant was in the area and ran into the animal in the dark.
