Wild elephant herd in Chinnakkanal causing panic among residents

Published 9 June 2026 · india

A herd of 17 wild elephants roaming Chinnakkanal, under the Devikulam range in Munnar, continues to worry both residents and forest officials. The latest victim

A herd of 17 wild elephants roaming Chinnakkanal, under the Devikulam range in Munnar, continues to worry both residents and forest officials. The latest victim was a 36-year-old woman who lost her life, while her son narrowly escaped with injuries. The 17 wild elephants are confined to a small habitat near the Anayirankal dam catchment area and the human settlement of 301 Colony. Residents noted that wild animal encounters are a chronic issue in Chinnakkanal. A native of Singukandam said that people are living in constant fear of elephant attacks. “We don’t know when the elephants might attack. When the government translocated wild jumbo ‘Arikomban’, the number of attacks briefly reduced.

But now, the frequency of such incidents has spiked again. The overpopulation of elephants in this limited area is the core issue,” he said. Meanwhile, Forest department officials expressed their helplessness. A senior official emphasised that both human and animal lives are important. “The limited habitat is the major crisis in Chinnakkanal. The reality is that there is simply no space left to drive the elephants from one area to another,” the official stated. The body of Mari, the 36-year-old Singukandam Anganawadi resident killed in Monday’s wild elephant attack, was cremated on Tuesday evening at the Suryanelli crematorium. Mari was attacked while walking her children, Rekshan (11) and Reskhitha (14), to school..

The boy remains under treatment at the Kottayam Medical College. Mari’s daughter, Rekshitha, lit the funeral pyre at the crematorium. Udumbanchola MLA Senapathi Venu and Devikulam MLA, A. Raja were among those who attended the funeral. Devikulam Range Officer Arun Kumar stated that the Forest department has established a temporary Rapid Response Team (RRT) unit at 301 Colony following the incident. “A female elephant and its calf attacked the mother and children on Monday morning, and we have since driven the animals away from human habitations. Residents have requested that the Forest department transport children safely to their school buses, and we will fulfil this using department vehicles,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, the State council of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), the farmers’ wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI), has demanded that the government capture and relocate all wild elephants from Chinnakkanal. Mathew Varghese, State vice-president of the AIKS, stated that the wild elephants in Chinnakkanal pose an imminent threat to human life. “The Chinnakkanal area is a long-standing human settlement, and these elephants must be relocated. The government should provide ₹25 lakh in compensation to the family, along with a government job for one of its members,” Mr. Varghese said.