Mundoor elephant attack: Probe to determine if there were lapses, says minister

Palakkad (Kerala) | Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran announced that an inquiry will be launched to ascertain if there was any lapse on the part of forest officials in the Mundoor wild elephant attack in which a youth was killed on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Minister A.K. Saseendran said that strict action would be taken if any lapses are found.

"Preventive measures are already in place, but the elephant broke through the solar fencing, and two or three wild elephants entered the residential area," he said.

Minister added that a review meeting was held with the District Collector and forest officials to assess the situation and a report is sought from the Collector.

Forest officials have already identified the locations where the elephants are currently camping, the minister said.

More Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) will be deployed in the area, he said adding that the concerns of the public are being taken seriously and will not be ignored.

The region where the elephant attack occurred has a history of similar incidents and precautionary measures have been put in place earlier.

"It wouldn't be fair to say that actions aren't aligned with public expectations. However, it's clear that the measures taken to deter wild animals have been ineffective," he admitted.

Efforts to restore peaceful life in the affected areas are ongoing under the District Collector, the minister added.

"Although several measures have been adopted to prevent wild animal attacks, it's evident that there has been little noticeable improvement so far," he said.

He also added that an alternative approach, known as ‘Ele-fencing', has been identified to tackle the threat posed by wild animals.

This method is currently being tried at two locations in Wayanad, and if found effective, steps will be taken to implement it on a wider scale, Saseendran said.

Alan (25), a resident of Kayaramkodu, was killed in a wild elephant attack in Mundoor near here, on Sunday night.

His mother Viji sustained serious injuries in the incident and is currently receiving treatment at Thrissur Medical College Hospital.

The attack occurred around 8 pm while the mother and son were walking home. Locals rushed to the scene and took them to the hospital, but Alan succumbed to his injuries.

According to the police, his body has been moved to the district hospital mortuary, and the postmortem will be conducted on Monday.

Reacting to the incident, the ruling CPI(M) party has called for a hartal in the Mundoor area, alleging that the forest department failed to alert the public even after wild elephants had taken shelter in the Mundoor–Kayaramkodu region.

Meanwhile, the BJP Palakkad district committee is staging a protest in front of the DFO's office today.