Tribal Deaths in Kerala Amid Ongoing Man-Animal Conflict

Post by: Layla Badr

Kerala is facing a serious problem where wild animals and people are coming into conflict. This is especially affecting those who live near or inside forest areas. Sadly, two more people died on Tuesday morning in such an incident.

The incident happened in Athirapally, a beautiful tourist spot located in a forest area. The people who died were from the tribal community. They have been identified as Ambika and Satish.

According to the local people, the two had gone into the forest to collect forest produce, which they are allowed to do. While they were inside, they saw a herd of wild elephants. Scared, they ran in different directions. In the chaos, they lost their lives.

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Ambika’s body was found in a river, while Satish’s body was found inside the forest. Right now, it's not fully clear how they died. Officials are waiting for the postmortem report to know whether the elephants trampled them or if they died from some other reason.

The local tribal community informed forest officers about the deaths early on Tuesday morning. Sanish Kumar Joseph, the area’s MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly), said the tribal families live deep inside the forest and often go there to collect items from the forest. He said that they were terrified when they saw the elephants and ran in panic, which led to the tragedy.

K.M. Jayachandran, a local panchayat (village council) member, added that this tragic news came at a heartbreaking time. The tribal community was already preparing for the funeral of another person who was killed by an elephant just two nights ago, on Sunday midnight.

Kerala’s Forest Minister, A.K. Saseendran, who is currently in Mumbai, has asked the Chief Forest Officer to submit a full report about this incident. He said the state government is doing everything possible to reduce these man-animal conflicts and is taking steps to protect people.

Since the beginning of 2025, about a dozen people — most of them tribals — have died due to attacks by wild animals like elephants, tigers, and wild boars. Wayanad district has seen the highest number of such deaths. Other affected areas include Thrissur and Kannur districts.

This growing conflict is causing fear and sorrow among the people who live in these forest areas, and they are hoping the government will find a solution soon.

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