Two tribal residents from the Vazhachal settlement in Kerala’s Athirappilly forest — Ambika and Satheesh — were killed in a suspected wild elephant attack, prompting Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran to call for a high-level investigation. The minister directed the Chief Wildlife Warden to submit a detailed report, emphasizing that the deaths should be treated as “unnatural” until the exact cause is confirmed.
The victims had been living in temporary shelters inside the forest for the past three days to collect honey when, according to initial reports, a herd of wild elephants charged the group around 7:30 PM on Monday. Satheesh was found dead with injuries consistent with an elephant attack, while Ambika’s body was later recovered from a nearby river. Two others narrowly escaped by jumping into the water.
This marks the third fatal elephant encounter in Kerala within just two days, fueling public concern over the rising human-wildlife conflict. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan slammed the Forest Department for its “lack of zeal” in addressing such threats and highlighted that 18 people have lost their lives to wildlife attacks in the state so far this year. He accused the government of making empty promises and failing to implement preventive measures.
As post-mortem investigations continue, the state government faces mounting pressure to introduce stronger protection for vulnerable forest-dwelling communities and formulate long-term strategies to manage escalating wildlife conflicts.
