Mysterious Death: Wild jumbos killed to protect farms

Thiruvananthapuram: There is a growing suspicion that native methods like the ones employed to kill Nilgiri tahrs during a time when they were in abundance are now being used to do away with wild elephants. It is unofficially estimated that 70 to 80 wild elephants had mysteriously died in the state’s forests  in a year.

According to V.K. Venkitachalam of Heritage Animal Task Force, 78 instances of such wild elephant deaths had been reported by various newspapers in the last 12 months.

Before the formation of Eravikulam National Park, hunters used to place shiny plantain leaves along the path of a Nilgiri tahr that moves forward in a spring-like motion. The ungulate invariably slipped and was promptly butchered for meat, and after a point of time it was declared endangered.  

Tahrs were killed for meat but wild jumbos are felled not even for their tusks. “Kerala’s wilds are relatively free of poachers but wild elephants have now emerged as a major nuisance for plantations, agricultural farms and tourism projects that have come up along elephant corridors,” said Jayachandran,  Idukki secretary of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty towards Animals (SPCA). “Wild elephants could be poisoned by farmers and plantation hands,” he added. The widely used technique is to leave poisoned pineapples, jackfruits or mangoes along the path of the elephants.

JUMBO CRISIS

• Expert says wild elephants could be poisoned by farmers and plantation hands.
• There were no external injuries on the three elephants that were found dead in Malayatoor range recently
• The widely used technique is to leave poisoned pineapples, jackfruits or mangoes along the path of elephants.
• Situation is made grave by the absence of a veterinary wing in the Forest Department.