Forest department to capture two wild elephants from Chinnakkanal

A wild elephant herd including a female elephant Murivali at a tea plantation in Panniyar near Santhanpara in Idukki on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Three years after the high-profile translocation of the wild tusker Arikompan, the Chinnakkanal region under the Devikulam forest range in Idukki is set to witness another elephant capture operation. The Kerala Forest department has decided to capture and translocate two more problematic wild elephants following the fatal trampling of a 47-year-old tribal farmer, Vijayan, at the Panthadikkalam tribal settlement near Santhanpara on Wednesday morning.According to sources, Forest Minister Shibu Baby John has directed officials to take immediate steps to capture and translocate problematic elephants in the Devikulam range that pose an active threat to human lives.High Range Circle Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) D. K. Vinod Kumar confirmed that two elephants have been marked for relocation: the tusker ‘Chakkakompan’ and a female elephant known as ‘Murivali’. “The Munnar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) will submit a formal proposal, following which the Chief Wildlife Warden will issue the translocation order. With the support of kumki (trained captive) elephants, the department will capture the animals and move them to safer forest tracts,” Mr. Vinod Kumar said.He added that the operation will commence once kumki elephants return from Aralam Farm in Kannur, where they were deployed to counter wild elephant intrusions.Removal of fencesThe CCF also noted that the department will formally petition the Idukki District Collector to remove fences erected inside cardamom plantations in Chinnakkanal and initiate eviction proceedings against illegal cultivation on revenue lands. “Fences installed around cardamom plantations have obstructed natural elephant corridors, which is a major driver of escalating human-wildlife conflict in the area,” he said.Chinnakkanal continues to be a hotspot for human-animal conflict. Vijayan’s death marks the second fatal attack in the area within a single week, bringing the death toll under the Devikulam range to four over the past four months.On September 17, Shiv Kumar, a migrant labourer from Madhya Pradesh, was trampled to death near Ayyanpara in Santhanpara. Earlier, on August 27, S. Ochappan, 68, a farmer from Tamil Nadu, was killed at Thalakkulam near Pooppara. On June 8, Mari, 36, a Chinnakkanal resident, was killed and her 11-year-old son injured in the attack.Forest officials noted that while Chinnakkanal once supported around 42 wild elephants, the local population has now dwindled to around 18.The area previously drew national attention during the capture of Arikompan, a tusker that was popular for raiding ration shops and homes for rice. Following intense public protests, the Forest department captured Arikompan near Cement Palam in Chinnakkanal on April 29, 2023, and released him into the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The tusker subsequently crossed into Meghamalai in Tamil Nadu, returned briefly to Thekkady, and entered Lower Camp in Cumbum. On June 5, 2023, the Tamil Nadu Forest department captured the tusker again and relocated him to the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR). Published - September 23, 2026 08:44 pm IST