Local people staged a protest outside the Mankulam divisional forest office on Wednesdayagainst Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) K.B. Subash for allegedly using abusive words against the vicar of the St. Joseph’s church at Anakulam in relation to an incident where wild elephants ran amok due to the bursting of crackers during an annual festival at the church on Saturday.
The church is located near a waterhole frequented by wild elephants and when celebratory crackers were set off, it created panic among the herd, prompting them to flee.
Later, the church authorities accused Mr. Subash of verbally abusing Father George Pallivathukkal. The priest defended the long-standing tradition of conducting the church festival, asserting that crackers were burst annually with prior notification to forest officials stationed in the area. The priest said the wild elephants fled to the forest when the crackers were burst, but returned soon after.
Kuttampuzha forest range officer Bineesh Kumar said the Forest department has not yet officially recorded the incident. “The waterhole and the surrounding forest area fell within the Kuttampuzha forest range under the Malayattoor forest division,” he said. The area does not fall under Mr. Subash’s jurisdiction. Mr. Subash was unavailable for comment.
According to Forest department sources, wild elephants can panic at the sound of crackers.The DFO only mentioned this to the vicar, said an official.
M.N. Jayachandran, district secretary of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) , filed a complaint with the Chief Minister urging action against those violating the Wildlife Protection Act. According to Mr. Jayachandran, a herd of approximately 20 wild elephants, including calves, were present at the waterhole during the incident. He criticised the church authorities for not cancelling the fireworks despite the presence of elephants in the area.
Forest officials highlighted the unique attraction of wild elephants towards the Anakulam river due to its salty flavour and mineral content. Nearly 50 elephants visit the waterhole daily, with records dating back to 1912.
