On Cam, Bejewelled Kerala Elephant Ran Amok on Seeing Fellow Tusker | This Happened Next

With nearly 30 per cent of Kerala’s geographical area under forest cover, incidents of human-wildlife conflict are not uncommon in the state. The latest incident was reported in the state’s Thrissur district, where an elephant brought for the Arat ritual at Mandarakadavu in connection with the Arattupuzha Pooram festival, attacked a fellow elephant on Thursday.

A video of the incident is going viral on social media, in which a bejewelled elephant can be seen charging and striking a fellow gentle giant as people ran helter-skelter.

As per media reports another elephant too turned unruly later.

As many as two persons were reportedly injured in the incident as they fell while running to safety. Several vehicles were also damaged in the melee.

About Arattupuzha Pooram

Considered the oldest pooram in the whole of Kerala, the Arattupuzha Pooram is held at the Sree Sastha Temple in Thrissur for a period of seven days every year.

Devotees believe it to be a ‘conclave’ where all gods and goddesses gather during the annual festival.

Man-Animal Conflict In Kerala

Kerala is a relatively small state with an average width of just around 70 km. However, with a total population of more than 3.46 crore, the state has several densely populated human settlements located close to protected forest regions.

With the increasing population, several agricultural plantations are also nearing wildlife habitats, especially in hilly areas, making human-animal conflict inevitable.

In recent years, the state has witnessed recurring incidents of loss of lives in human settlements due to attacks by wild animals. In view of such incidents, the Kerala cabinet earlier this month declared instances of man-animal conflict as a state-specific disaster.