Tribal man killed in wild elephant attack in Keralam’s Idukki
The Chinnakkanal area uder the Devikulam forest range continues to be a hazard for residents due to escalating human-wildlife conflict
A 47-year-old tribal man, named Vijayan, lost his life in a wild elephant attack near Chinnakkanal in Idukki district, Kerala, on Wednesday morning, September 23, 2026. The incident took place around 6:30 a.m. as Vijayan was returning home from a work shed. According to local information, Vijayan attempted to escape from a tusker, locally known as "Chakkakompan," but the animal charged and trampled him to death.
The area is recognized as a human-wildlife conflict zone under risk assessment by local bodies. This is the second fatal elephant attack in the Devikulam forest range within a week, bringing the total death toll from such incidents in the range to four over the last four months. Earlier this week, a 30-year-old migrant laborer from Madhya Pradesh, named Shiv Kumar, was killed by a wild elephant near Ayyanpara in Santhanpara on September 17.
Prior to that, on August 27, a 68-year-old farmer from Tamil Nadu, S. Ochappan, was killed at Thalakkulam near Pooppara. In another incident on June 8, a 36-year-old woman from Chinnakkanal and her 11-year-old son were killed and injured in a separate attack, respectively.
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