Farmer in Kerala’s Wayanad dies in suspected elephant attack

A farmer, Rajeev, reportedly died in a suspected elephant attack in Sulthan Bathery while trying to drive off an elephant from his farm. Forest officials await postmortem confirmation amid local complaints over inadequate protection and compensation

Wayanad: A farmer died in Sulthan Bathery here on Wednesday morning in a suspected elephant attack. According to local residents of Vadakkanad in Sulthan Bathery, the victim, Rajeev, had gone to drive off an elephant that had entered his farm.

However, as he did not return, they checked and found him lying on the ground with elephant footprints around him, a local resident told a TV channel.

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Meanwhile, a senior forest official said they cannot confirm that the man died in an elephant attack, and the cause of death will only be confirmed after a postmortem.

The residents of the region also said that they have protested many times against the animal attacks. They claimed they receive very little compensation for crop loss.

They also said that the hanging fence setup there was “ineffective and a waste of money”.