Elephant herd at Palappilly refuses to return to forest

Trapped rubber-tappers have miraculous escape

A herd of around 45 elephants camping near human-inhabited areas at Palappilly in Thrissur for the past few days refused to move back to the forest on Tuesday as well.

Some rubber-tapping workers had a miraculous escape on Tuesday morning after they were trapped between two herds of elephants. One herd had damaged a fish shop at Palappilly centre and standing crops near Kuttippalam on Monday.

Though the forest officials had been making efforts to send the jumbos back to the forest, the animals did not seem to be in a mood to return. Firecrackers burst by local residents and forest workers in an attempt to scare them away too did not yield the desired result. The forest officials said the elephants “got used to the sounds.”

Though the presence of elephant herds is common in the Palappilly area, they usually do not come near human habitations. However, this time, they came come close to the houses of rubber tappers and shops at Palappily centre in broad daylight.

Drinking water scarcity in the forest is cited to be the main reason for the elephants to stray near the human-inhabited areas, according to local residents.

As Palappilly is located on the way to the Chimmini dam, a known tourist destination in Thrissur district, the forest officials face the double task of ensuring the safety of tourists along with sending the elephants back to the forest.