Forest dept. moves ahead with clearing natural elephant passages in Chinnakkanal in Keralam
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Wild tusker Chakkakompan moved to the Mathikettan Shola National Park once the Forest department dismantled a fence at the RS estate nearby. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Amid protests from farmer groups and political parties against the directive to remove fences and structures that block elephant passages, the Idukki district administration and the Forest department are moving ahead with clearing natural passages in Chinnakkanal under the Devikulam forest range in Keralam.
Officials said the initiative followed a steady rise in human deaths and injuries in areas bordering forests in the district. Recent data compiled by the district administration showed that over the past decade, wildlife conflicts claimed 81 lives and left 486 injured.
According to the data, 2023-24 recorded the highest death toll of 10 and 79 injuries, while 2024-25 saw seven deaths and 103 injuries. Within the first nine months of this year, wild elephant attacks left five people dead and 13 injured. Fatalities and injuries among plantation workers, farmers, and tribal communities have surged to an alarming level.
“The data shows that the highest number of deaths occurred under the Devikulam forest range in Munnar. We cannot allow this situation to continue,” an official said.
High Range Circle Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) D.K. Vinod Kumar said that following the recent death of a tribal farmer at the Panthadikkalam settlement, the Forest department dismantled a fence at the RS estate nearby. “Once the fence was removed, the wild tusker Chakkakompan moved through this route towards the Mathikettan Shola National Park,” he said.
Devikulam Forest Range Officer E.D. Arun Kumar said the tusker had remained camped in the area for the past year and a half because of the barrier. “When we reopened its natural passage, the animal moved to Mathikettan,” the officer said.
Officers have identified three primary elephant passages currently obstructed in Chinnakkanal—the corridor connecting Mathikettan-Thondimala to Chinnakkanal, Shankarapandyamettu to the PPK estate, and Devikulam to old Devikulam.
Officers further noted that the Forest department planned to proceed with capturing two problematic wild elephants in Chinnakkanal—Chakkakompan and a female elephant known as Murivali. “Before December, we plan to capture at least one elephant and translocate it from Chinnakkanal,” an officer said. Sources added that the Idukki district administration had also formally requested their translocation.
An official said Chinnakkanal was home to 17 to 18 wild elephants, making mass capture and relocation unfeasible. “Reopening natural passages will help mitigate human-wildlife conflict significantly,” the official added.
Recently, Idukki District Collector Dineshan Cheruvatt formed a four-member expert committee to examine human-wildlife conflict in Chinnakkanal and propose long-term solutions.
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