Thiruvananthapuram, March 2
A 70-year-old farmer, Sreedharan, was killed in a wild boar attack on his farmland in Kerala’s Kannur on Sunday.
He sustained severe injuries all over his body and succumbed to excessive blood loss, police confirmed.
According to Nanu, a local resident, the attack occurred on a commonly used route leading to the main road. Hearing Sreedharan’s loud cries, Nanu rushed to the spot, only to find the farmer brutally mauled by the wild boar.
“The wild boar had inflicted multiple deep wounds on his body. His left thigh bone was protruding from the flesh,” Nanu said. Sreedharan was immediately taken to the Thalassery Government Hospital, but doctors were unable to save his life.
The tragic incident comes amid a growing number of fatal wildlife attacks in Kerala. On the same day (March 2), a wild elephant killed a domestic bull in the Attappadi border region, highlighting the increasing threat posed by wild animals to local communities.
Just days earlier, on February 24, a wild elephant attack claimed the lives of an elderly tribal couple, Velli (80) and his wife Leela (70), at Aralam Farm in Kannur district. The couple was collecting cashew nuts near the Rapid Response Team office in Karikmukku when the elephant attacked them.
Since 2014, at least 17 people have lost their lives to wild elephant attacks in the Aralam Farm area alone.
In another incident on February 10, a 45-year-old man named Manu from Unnathi, Kappad, was killed by an elephant when he was returning home after purchasing goods from a shop.
On the same day, a 45-year-old woman, Sofia, was also killed in an elephant attack in Peruvanthanam, Idukki.
As per data available up to February 11, 2025, a total of 57 people have lost their lives to wildlife attacks in Kerala during the current financial year (2024-25). Of these, 15 deaths were caused by elephant attacks. Other fatalities included eight deaths from wild boar attacks, one death from a tiger attack, 32 deaths from snake bites and one death caused by a porcupine attack.
The increasing number of human-wildlife conflicts in Kerala is attributed to the state’s vast forest cover of 11,309 square km (4,366 sq mi), which accounts for over 29.1 per cent of its total geographical area. More than one lakh tribal residents live within these forested areas, along with five lakh non-tribal residents in nearby settlements and border areas.
Rapid population growth and human encroachment into forest zones have intensified conflicts, leading to widespread destruction of crops, livestock loss, property damage, and, in many cases, human casualties.
In the financial year 2024-25 alone, over 50 wild elephant attacks have been reported across the state, with fatalities on the rise. Authorities are under increasing pressure to implement effective measures to mitigate these conflicts and ensure the safety of residents living in and around forest areas.
