Pointing to the resumption of poaching in the State’s forests after a brief lull, a 26-year-old person, member of a hunting group, was crushed to death by a wild elephant in the Thattekkad forests in the district late on Wednesday.
Forest officials identified the deceased as Tony Jose, 26, a native of Thattekkad. The deceased, an engineering graduate, had entered the forest along with three others, around 8.30 p.m. on Wednesday, purportedly to hunt animals for meat. Basil Thankachan, 30, of Thattekkad, another member of the group, suffered grievous injuries in the attack and was admitted to a private hospital in Aluva after being rescued by forest officials. Shajith Joseph and Aneesh, other members of the racket, had a narrow escape and have been absconding ever since.
“The group had moved into the deep forests of Bharanikkuzhy after walking about an hour and stumbled into the single elephant standing near the Kavala point. The elephant unleashed a sudden attack, flipping Tony into the air while hitting Basil with its trunk, causing serious injuries to their heads and ribs’’, explained Xavier TX, Range Officer, Kuttampuzha.
Meanwhile, the country-made firearm carried by Tony accidentally went off and its bullet pieced his own leg, preventing his escape from the scene. Tony succumbed to his injuries a couple of hours later.
The incident came to light in the wee hours of Thursday when Shajith, who had escaped from the scene, approached the resident of a village on the forest fringe.
During the follow-up search, forest sleuths recovered arms carried by the group, including a country-made gun. Cases have been registered against the group members under the provisions of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972.
Despite the heightened vigil in the region following the Malayattoor elephant poaching case in which 18 animals were hunted down for tusks, the villages located on the forest fringes of Ernakulam district have become a den of country-made firearms. According to officials, the lucrative but illegal arms trade has been prospering in villages such as these.
In their opinion, the trend of people living in forest fringes is catching up with the younger generations, of late.
