Kumki elephant deployed in Kalikavu to capture man-eating tiger, runs amok, injures mahout

MALAPPURAM: A Kumki elephant brought to capture the man-eating tiger in Kalikavu, ran amok. Kunju, the Kumki brought from Muthanga, ran amok Sunday morning. Kunju threw his mahout Chanthu. The mahout who sustained injuries on his neck has been admitted to a private hospital in Wandoor. The incident happened this morning at 9.30 am.

The forest department brought two elephants-- Konni Surendran and Kunju, from Muthanga for the mission. The elephants were tied at the Parassery government school. It is customary to untie the elephants from the place to a different spot. Kunju attacked the mahout while trying to untie the animal. It is reported that the mahout was thrown away.

Meantime, rubber tapping in the Kalikavu region is in crisis as the workers are in fear of the tiger. Tapping work has come to a standstill in many plantations due to the absence of workers. Many families are prohibiting them from going to work after a tiger killed a tapper recently. Workers are also facing serious threats at the Pullancode Rubber Estate, the largest estate in the district. The management said they are worried as the functioning of the estate has been disrupted.

The fear of the workers increased after a tapper was killed by a tiger the other day. The company had earlier deployed armed men to protect the workers at the Pullancode estate, which employs about 500 people. However, the authorities have not yet renewed the three-gun licenses that were used exclusively for the safety of the workers for the past three years. This is the main reason for the fear of the workers.