Two Kerala Tribals Die While Fleeing In Panic After Seeing Wild Elephant Herd

Thrissur:
In the midst of a man-animal conflict in Kerala which has taken a heavy toll on people living in the forested areas, there were reports of two more deaths on Tuesday morning.

According to reports, two tribals lost their lives in Athirapally, a picturesque tourist spot which lies in the forest area.

The dead have been identified as Ambika and Satish, and according to reports the deaths occurred when they were running away in terror after seeing a herd of wild elephants.

The body of Ambika was recovered from the river, while the body of Satish was found in the forest area.

Once the post mortem reports come in, it will be clear whether the two were trampled to death by the wild elephants or died due to other causes.

On Tuesday morning the local tribal community informed the forest officials about the tragic incident.

Local legislator Sanish Kumar Joseph said that these tribal families live inside the forested area and they go into the deep woods to collect forest produce for which they have permission.

“According to information, some tribal people went into the deep forest to collect forest produce and seeing a herd of elephants they got rattled and they ran helter-skelter and in the process they lost their lives,” said Joseph.

Incidentally K.M. Jayachandran the local village council member of the area said these two deaths have come at a time when the tribal community was getting ready for the funeral of another person who was trampled to death by a wild elephant on Sunday midnight.

Kerala Forest Minister, A.K. Saseendran, who is away in Mumbai has directed the Chief Forest Officer to prepare a report on the incident.

“The state government is doing everything to ensure that the man-animal conflict is tackled through various measures and it is taking place also,” said Saseendran.

Since the beginning of 2025, around a dozen people, most of them tribals have lost their lives due to attacks from wild animals and the maximum casualties have been reported from Wayanad district.

The wild animals that have been attacking people include elephants, tigers and wild boars.

Districts like Wayanad, Thrissur and Kannur are the tribal areas that have been the worst affected by the man-animal conflict.