The people of Amarambalam and Karulai panchayat in the district are living in fear of raids by two elephants for the past several days. The elephants have destroyed large acreage of crops and properties. But, there have been no reports of the tuskers attacking people.
One elephant has only one tusk while the other is a full-grown tusker. Local people said the single-tusk elephant appeared less harmful. The elephants terrorised areas such as Kaimunda, Mailambara, Cherupuzha and Pullancheri in Karulai panchayat, and Kavalamukkatta,
Pattakkarimbu and T.K. Colony in Amarambalam panchayat.
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They targeted ripe jackfruits, which are available in plenty in the area. Many people have destroyed the jackfruits on their land in order to keep away the tuskers. The elephants also targeted coconut, arecanut, plantain and banana trees. Crops worth several lakhs of rupees have been destroyed.
Apart from the crop destruction, the elephants have terrorised the plantation workers. Labourers engaged in rubber tapping have stopped working in some areas.
“We can’t risk our lives in such a situation,” said Amina, a tapping labourer at Amarambalam.
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