Sacred Elephants in India Lose Habitat Due to Various Developments
Wild Elephants Searching for Food Attack, Targeting People
Recently, wild elephants have been appearing in India, causing headaches for local residents. Foreign media outlets such as the BBC reported that wild elephants have been coming down into Indian villages and attacking people.
On the 10th, Mrs. Joseph, who was returning from morning prayers at a church in the Wayanad village of Kerala state in southern India, found a man bleeding inside a car. The man was identified as Ajesh Joseph, a local resident and farmer. He was reported to have died after being attacked by a wild elephant that had come down into the village.
Following the news of his death, protests broke out among the villagers. However, the protests were withdrawn only after the authorities promised compensation of 1 million rupees (approximately 16 million KRW) to Joseph's family and offered a job to his wife.
A similar incident occurred on the 16th. Paul Velachalil (50), the manager of the Kurubasam Ecotourism Center in Wayanad, died from an elephant attack while on duty. His funeral procession turned into a violent protest demanding government compensation and action. Although elephants are considered sacred in Hindu-majority India, recent frequent attacks on people by elephants have caused growing dissatisfaction among the population.
One resident said, "We often see elephants roaming outside. Most of them do not attack us, but how can we distinguish between dangerous elephants and ordinary ones?"
The reason wild elephants come down into villages is linked to the destruction of their habitats in India due to tourism, livestock farming, logging, and forest fires. Additionally, the Indian government's destruction of bamboo forests, which are the elephants' food source, to establish monoculture farms has also played a major role.
Residents have held large-scale protests criticizing the government authorities for failing to prevent the accidents. They pointed out, "All tragedies began as wild animals, having lost their habitats due to the reduction of animal protection zones, wander in search of places to live."
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