Elephant runs amok, kills two mahouts in Kottayam | Manorama News

Two mahouts were killed by captive elephant which ran amok at Karukachal near kottayam on Thursday. The deceased have been identified as Gopinathan Nair and Kannan. The elephant was brought to load wooden logs from a residential compund at Champakkara.

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Scary jumbo tales from Munnar

George N Netto

Stories of encounters with wild elephants are as common in Munnar, Kerala’s picturesque tea-growing hub and tourist destination, as the tea bushes girdling it. For locals it’s an occupational hazard of sorts, with most having had at least one scary experience.

A truck driver transiting through the town took a nap on the outskirts one night and woke up to find a tusker mopping, quite incredibly, the condensation off his frosted windscreen with its trunk! Terrified, he cowered under the dashboard until the pachyderm moved on, having finished its task. Was it trying to get a clearer view of him? He still shudders at the thought.

Meeting an elephant unexpectedly at night on the hill resort’s narrow roads is often an ordeal — and, sometimes, a nightmare — for motorists. One hapless driver once found himself trapped on a deserted stretch with a jumbo right in front of him and another behind. In sheer desperation he sneaked out of his car and quickly clambered up the hillside to safety. From there he saw the pachyderms toy with the vehicle, leaving it badly dented.

Some daredevil motorcyclists have perfected the art of sneaking past an elephant when its back is turned — a risky manoeuvre that could backfire if a two-wheeler suddenly stalls. I've seen this happen a couple of times with the driver hastily grounding his bike and fleeing as the elephant headed towards him.

Then there was a local bus whose horn uncannily mimicked the brassy trumpeting of an elephant. The driver bragged that he could scare off any pachyderm with it. One night he encountered a tusker on a sharp curve and sounded the horn. Apparently mistaking it to be the challenge of a rival male, the jumbo advanced menacingly, stopping just a few feet short of the bus and its petrified human cargo before realising its mistake and backing off. The first thing the driver did on reaching Munnar was to replace the horn with an ‘elephant-friendly’ one.

Another night, two tourists on a motorcycle swept round a sharp bend to find a massive tusker sashaying on the side of the road. Braking, they waited at a respectful distance, hoping it would move into the adjacent eucalyptus plantation. When it didn’t budge for a long time, they decided that discretion was the better part of valour and turned back. Returning next morning, they were shocked to find the tusker still rooted there, looking as menacing as earlier. But they also noticed something that they hadn't the previous night: its rear legs were chained to a tree. It was a captive elephant brought there for logging work!

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PETA seeks inquiry into tusk trimming of an elephant in India

A video clip showing a group of workers trimming an elephant's tusk in Kerala, a southern state in India, has alarmed animal rights groups.

Artisans can be seen cutting, sawing and shaving the animal's tusk, using old and rusted tools. During the entire process, the elephant keeps lying on the ground, frequently gasping.

The video was shot at Thiruvarattukav, near Attingal of Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala on November 6. Such trimming is done to remove broken or damage part of the tusk, locals said.

The ivory, dust and small pieces could be seen falling on the ground as the tusk is being shaved, while large pieces were being handed over to a security person. It's difficult to ascertain whether the elephant was sedated.

According to 2008 guidelines issued by India's Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), such practices, carried out on the tusk of a captive elephant should be authorized by the Chief Wildlife Warden.

“For cutting or shaping the tusk, a letter should be sent by registered post, including the location where it will be done, and the name of the competent person who would operate, at least one month in advance,” the law states.

Screenshots of the carving carried out on a live elephant were submitted to People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In an emailed response to CGTN, the organization demanded a probe into the incident.

“An inquiry must be conducted by the forest department on this matter, where few people are observed to be cutting or carving the tusks of an elephant, as shown in the picture,” PETA statement maintained.

Senior officials pointed out that investigation can reveal whether there was any violation of the animal protection law.

“Various inspections conducted by Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and investigations done by PETA India, on captive elephants used for rituals in temples of Southern India like Kerala, Tamil Nadu. Also, those used for joy rides and processions in the states like Rajasthan, Goa,” Peta said.

TRAFFIC, a global wildlife monitoring agency maintained that the practice is not something that would break any international legislation unless any ivory removed during the process was traded across a border.

“However, it is possible, it may be breaking some domestic legislation,” a senior TRAFFIC official told CGTN.

According to Amboseli Trust for Elephants, removing tusk from a living elephant could be painful. “There is a nerve that runs well down the length of an elephant's tusk. Cutting the tusk off would be painful.”

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Elephant chases terrified villagers onto roofs in rampage that left three injured

They're one of the most beloved and affectionate animals in the world, but this footage shows just how dangerous elephants can be at times.

The video shows a young male that went on a rampage through the village of Khordha in India, where at least three people were injured as they tried to get out of its way.

The animal sparked panic as terrified villagers were forced to climb onto the roofs of their homes to find a place of safety.

The elephant ran around wildly and caused havoc as it attacked people and homes, damaged property and trampled bicycles and scooters, according to local media.

Footage captured by one of the villagers, who was hiding in a doorway, shows the elephant ploughing into a cluster of bicycles - sending some of them flying - as it runs around.

Later, villagers who sought refuge on a roof look on as the animal storms around during Saturday's rampage.

The elephant then stood on railway tracks for some time, causing delays for a few trains, as it dug its foot into the rocks like a bull does before charging.

It later disappeared into the forest on its own.

Local officials said three people suffered minor injuries as they tried to escape the elephant.

Earlier this month, video showed two male elephants bringing traffic to a halt in Thailand as they went head-to-head in what was believed to be a fight over a female they were hoping to breed with.

The Asian elephant is listed as endangered following a staggering 50 per cent population decline in the last 75 years.

The main threats include loss of habitat and poaching.

According to Save the Asian Elephants, there are just 40,000 still alive today. Of those, 30,000 are wild (60 per cent in India).

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian sparked outrage recently when she was pictured riding a captive elephant while on holiday in Bali.

Meanwhile, more than 130,000 people have signed a petition calling on a zoo in Thailand to stop shows where elephants are forced to perform underwater tricks.

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520 Captive Elephants In Kerala, Reveals Census

Forests and Wildlife Department conducts State-wide census

The Forest and Wildlife Department on Thursday conducted a State-wide census to enumerate the State’s captive elephant population. Over 520 elephants were counted. The final figures were yet to be ascertained.

The survey was necessitated by an order issued by the Supreme Court that directed Chief Wildlife Wardens to identify elephants in captivity and to ascertain whether their owners possessed ownership certificates. The order permitted granting provisional ownership certificates in cases where the owner did not have the needed document.

Thrissur recorded the highest number of elephants (145) and Kannur the lowest (three). Forty-eight elephants were registered in Thiruvananthapuram. Kasaragod has no elephants.

The details

Details pertaining to captive elephants, their owners and mahouts were collected during the drive. Other details, including microchip certificate and DNA profiles, were also recorded. Measurements of elephants, including height; length of the body, trunk, tail and tusks; girth of tusks; and number of nails, were collected by the survey team.

While the State-level drive was coordinated by the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Biodiversity Cell), the efforts in each district were supervised by the Assistant Conservator of Forests (Social Forestry). The number of squads was fixed in proportion to the estimated elephant population in the districts.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force P.K. Kesavan said the department was well within the schedule and will submit the report before the Supreme Court within December 31 as per the directive.

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Kohli bats for rescue of Jaipur tourist elephant

NEW DELHI: India´s cricket captain Virat Kohli called Thursday for a captive elephant being maltreated and used for tourist rides in a tourist hotspot to be relocated to a rehabilitation facility.

Kohli´s plea comes after a group of American tourists had witnessed eight men violently beating the elephant at the famous Amer Fort in Jaipur last year.

Kohli on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has written a letter to the state minister of Rajasthan to rescue the elephant, known as "Number 44".

"As a professional cricketer, I am proud to represent our country, but when I learned about the hateful attack on Number 44 last June, I felt so ashamed," wrote Kohli, currently on tour in Australia.

"Violence against animals is completely unacceptable, not to mention illegal, and our nation cannot fail elephants this way.

"...I beseech you to start helping them by transferring Number 44 to a reputable rehabilitation facility where she can get the care she needs, socialise with others of her kind, and live free from chains, abuse, and fear."

Kohli´s letter follows PETA India´s complaint to the state´s forest department, which resulted in a notice being issued to Number 44´s custodian, Wasid Khan, holding him responsible for the abuse.

Tens of thousands of tourists visit the Amer Fort, a medieval complex on a hilltop outside Jaipur also known as the Amber Fort, every year and many opt to enter its imposing gates on an elephant.

A report commissioned by the Animal Welfare Board of India early this year revealed that 19 elephants used to ferry visitors were blind or vision impaired while nine others had tuberculosis.

The report also said that the captive elephants were unfit for safaris and that carrying people on their backs endangered both the elephants and tourists alike.

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