Elephant chasers of Chalakudy are on constant vigil to avoid a ‘conflict’
Venkateshwaran, a young Divisional Forest Officer of Chalakudy in Thrissur, and his men have been on their toes since the morning hours at Chiklayi in
Venkateshwaran, a young Divisional Forest Officer of Chalakudy in Thrissur, and his men have been on their toes since the morning hours at Chiklayi in the Athirappilly forest stretch on a rainy day in the second week of June. An alert call from an elephant watcher on the presence of a herd of wild elephants near the human habitation of Kumbidammudi, a fragmented forest patch in the rainforest of Athirappilly, which forms part of the Western Ghats, spurred the team members to action. Two drone pilots quickly launched their remotely piloted aircraft systems to zero in on the exact location of the animals. Relying on the drones’ inputs, a group of animal trackers moved towards the area where the elephants had appeared. The team tediously made their way through the forest, as the golden rays of the morning sun filtered through the thick canopy of the rainforest. The verdant forest had grown darker in the monsoon showers. The chirping of the crickets filled the air. Traversing through the wild track was a treacherous task as some segments of the path had turned slushy in the overnight rain. The overgrown wild grass and shrubs obstructed movement. Risk lurked in the form of wild elephants that could position themselves behind the tall and thick patches of vegetation. The sound of crushing foliage or the breaking of tree branches made the team instantly wary since one wrong step could turn fatal. Some of the team members held their pump-action guns ready. The pellets shot from the guns can inflict deep pain but would not injure the animal. Pain serves as an effective deterrent while handling wild animals, they say. The trackers carried locally made bazookas, with a long metal pipe and a pistol grip, for bursting firecrackers. Once ignited, the gun will launch the cracker to a distance of 50 metres before it explodes, scaring away wild animals. A team member tightened his grip on the handle of his long machete. “Ideally, animals should be driven out of human habitations during the daytime, when there is sufficient light.
The operation becomes more dangerous at night and in forest terrains. Yet, we undertake such assignments,” said Jobin Joseph, a Range Forest Officer, who is currently involved in the operations. The officials said they put their lives at risk while engaging in such operations. “During a recent operation, one tusker charged at us. The risk multiplies in forest areas at night and during rain, when the terrain becomes slippery. We have to deal with an animal that can move faster than us,” said Jobin. As night fell over the Kumbidammudi hills, the team of officials began “disturbing” the wild elephants in an attempt to drive them safely out of human habitations and into the wild. Someone panned a powerful light across the holding to locate the animal. The officers stood in a formation, keeping a pathway open for the animal to move out. The animal was pushed out of the human habitation for around 12 km. Suddenly, the jumbo moved in another direction, upsetting the officials’ plans Anticipating trouble, the team leader placed his index finger on the trigger of his 212 rifle as the team members renewed their attempts. It was yet another day at work for the elephant chasers of Athirappilly, tiring and perilous. “The team members, who are engaged in the risky business of chasing away wild elephants, have come face to face with death on several occasions. Once, I saw death positioned hardly 10 metres from me in the form of an irate elephant herd and froze for a moment. When the team members shouted on top of their lungs and fired the bazookas, the animals retreated,” recounts Venkateshwaran. On May 30, 2026, Mohanan, 63, a dairy farmer of Vaissery in Athirappilly, was killed in an encounter with a wild elephant. A lone tusker, which forayed into his holding, trampled him early in the morning as he tried to scare it away with a freshly lit torch. The animal, which remained hidden under the cover of darkness, killed him in a flash. “The elephant had attacked two others a few days ago.
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