Why the elephant hunters of Chalakudy, Kerala keep vigil to avoid ‘conflict’

Venkateshwaran, a young divisional forest officer from Chalakuda in Thrissur, and his men had been on alert since the wee hours of the morning at Chiklaya in the Athirappilly stretch of forest on a rainy day in the second week of June. An alarm call from an elephant watcher about the presence of a herd of wild elephants near the human settlement of Kumbidammudi, a fragmented forest area in the Athirappilly Rainforest, part of the Western Ghats, spurred the team members into action. The two drone pilots quickly launched their remote control aircraft systems to zero in on the animals’ exact location. A group of animal trackers relied on drone inputs and moved towards the area where the elephants appeared.

The team wearily made their way through the forest as the golden rays of the morning sun pierced through the dense canopy of the rainforest. The green forest turned dark in the monsoon showers. The chirping of crickets filled the air. Traversing the wild trail was a treacherous task as some sections of the road were muddy in the overnight rain. Overgrown wild grass and bushes impeded movement. Danger lurked in the form of wild elephants that could stand behind the tall and dense patches of vegetation.

Drone video shows elephants in Chalakudy | Video credit: special arrangements

The sound of crunching leaves or snapping tree branches immediately put the team on alert as one misstep could be fatal. Some members of the team held pump guns at the ready. Bullets fired from guns can cause deep pain but would not injure the animal. Pain is said to serve as an effective deterrent when handling wild animals. The trackers carried locally made bazookas with a long metal tube and a pistol grip for bursting firecrackers. Once ignited, the gun shoots a cracker up to 50 meters before exploding and scaring off wild animals. The team member tightened his grip on the handle of his long machete. “Ideally, the animals should be chased away from human habitations during the day when there is enough light. The operation becomes more dangerous at night and in forest terrains. Still, we carry out such tasks,” said Jobin Joseph, a forest officer who is currently involved in the operations.

Officials said they risked their lives to engage in such operations. “During a recent operation, we were attacked by a tuker. The risk is multiplied in forested areas at night and in the rain when the terrain is slippery. We have to deal with an animal that can move faster than us,” Jobin said. As night fell over the Kumbidammudi hills, a team of officials began “disrupting” the wild elephants in an attempt to drive them safely out of human habitations into the wild. Someone shined a powerful light across the farm to find the animal.

The officers stood in formation and kept the path open for the animal. The animal was pushed about 12 km from the human habitation. Suddenly, the jumbo moved in a different direction, disrupting the officials’ plans. Anticipating trouble, the team leader placed his index finger on the trigger of his 212 rifle as the team members resumed their attempts.

Members of the elephant tracking team are keeping a close eye on the movement of the clover that has come close to the human habitation. | Photo credit: THULASI KAKKAT

It was another day at work, tiring and dangerous, for the elephant hunters of Athirappilla. “Team members engaged in risky driving of wild elephants have met death several times. Once I saw death located barely 10 meters from me in the form of an enraged herd of elephants and froze for a moment. As team members screamed at the top of their lungs and fired bazookas,” the animals said.

On May 30, 2026, Mohanan (63), a dairy farmer from Vaissera in Athirappilly, was killed in an encounter with a wild elephant. A lone buck that had trespassed on his farm trampled him early in the morning when he tried to scare him off with a freshly lit torch. The beast that remained hidden under the cloak of darkness killed him in a flash. “The elephant attacked two others a few days ago. It was first spotted a fortnight ago in this area,” said Adarsh, Mohanan’s son.

After the death of Mohanan, which shocked the residents of the popular tourist destination, the forest department on June 2 began its activities to secure human habitations by driving out marauding elephants. Since then, the forest has been patrolled by specially trained teams that include members of local communities as well as natives with knowledge of the terrain to spot the animals.

Along the Athirappilly-Vazachal road that leads to Sholayar, signage was seen warning travelers about animal crossings and the possible presence of wild animals.

Elephant management field operations begin with data collection.

Drone visuals show elephants in Chalakudy | Photo credit: special arrangement

“The drones monitor the movement of the elephants while others patrol the forests during the day. The animal trackers will feed the inputs sent from the drones. Special teams will start disturbing the animals and drive them out of the enclosures using various techniques. The plan is to push the animals back into the Athirappilly forest across the Chalakudy river,” said Sunservator team representative, forest manager, Sunservamar, K. of the elephant hunters.

“The movement of the animals is monitored 24/7. Two watch towers are being set up inside the forest. The action plan for the day is finalized around 7 am after analyzing the data of the animals. A 100-strong team is involved in the operations,” said Sunilkumar, who appeared sleepy and exhausted after the nearly 13-hour long operation that ended around 4 am.

Unique names

Animal trackers, like residents, know the physical characteristics and behavioral patterns of the elephants that visit the area. Residents even gave each animal a unique name.

Ottakaathan has a large hole in his wide ear flap, probably a remnant of a fight with another of his tribe. Punyalan (saint) regularly came to the church in Vettilappara in the evening. “Ezhattumukham Ganapathy, cute-looking and delicate-tusked, was the first to appear in the area. Chillikomban has thin, long tusks, while Manjakomban got its nickname from its yellow tusks. Murivalan derives its name from its short, injured tail,” listed TA Preethikumar, a member of the monitoring team who regularly meet vigil.elephants during their names.

“Some elephants like Pottan Aana (deaf elephant) are not easily intimidated as they ignore the sound of crackers,” Preethikumar noted. On any given day, the trackers cover about six kilometers on foot in search of animals. “I am not afraid of elephants as I meet them regularly,” said Ratheesh, another animal tracker, as he took a short lunch break after covering about four kilometers.

Another hitchhiker demonstrated the operation of the bazooka by lighting the wick of a firecracker with his lighter. The loud crack of a cracker that echoed across the Pillapara, a section of the Western Ghats that runs through the area, was followed by a trail of thick smoke.

“Continuous changes in land use patterns in the area may have exacerbated incidents of human-wildlife conflict in the region,” notes IS Suresh Babu, Divisional Forest Officer, Vazhachal. “Extensive cultivation of pineapple and palm oil and the year-round availability of water in the Chalakudy River attracts elephants. Currently, there are about 15 elephants living in the region,” notes Suresh.

Some of the elephant corridors used by several generations of wild elephants have been blocked by solar fences that have been stretched across the region, forcing the animals to find alternative routes to access food and water sources. Some of their new navigation routes lead through human settlements, opening up new frontiers of human conflict, Suresh noted.

Wild elephants must be disturbed to drive them out of human settlements to secure human lives and property. Like elephants washed out of farms, elephant poachers spend nights awake and stressed.