Kerala Minister for Forest and Wildlife A.K. Saseendran has said that an order seeking to tranquilize the wild elephant that killed a man at Chaligaddha near Kattikulam in Wayanad district on Saturday, February 10, will be issued soon.
He told the media after a high-level meeting here that the Kerala High Court had been conducting a hearing related to the death of Thanneer Komban, the radio-collared wild elephant from Karnataka which died recently after being tranquilized and captured by the department. Mr. Saseendran said that a member of the court-appointed expert committee related to the incident had been summoned.
“In such a scenario, forest officials have suggested that convincing the court would be essential to move forward in the present case. The Chief Minister is coordinating the steps being taken. An order would be issued soon,” he said. The deceased has been identified as Aji,45, of Panachi at Chaligaddha under the Begur Forest range in the North Wayanad forest division. According to officials, Aji was attacked by the radio-collared wild elephant translocated from Karnataka.
Asked about the practical issues related to the surveillance of animals fitted with radio collars, Mr. Saseendran said that a protocol would be forumulated on their monitoring.
“Unusual things are happening in Wayanad right now. Because of the protests by the local residents, officials are unable to reach the spot. We need a conducive atmosphere to address the issue. The district collector is willing to talk to the people’s representatives, but the condition is not appropriate,” he said.
