Elephants kill two hikers (India) 

Kerala Online

February 22, 2009

Thiruvananthapuram, Sunday 22 Feb 2009: A herd of wild elephants trampled to death two hikers who were part of a 10- member group returning from a trek to Agasthyarkoodam peak in the Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary in Nedumangadu taluk on Saturday evening. They were identified as Anuroop, 25 and Jayakumar, 27, of Neyyatinkara.

S. Bijukumar, 30, who narrowly survived the attack, told reporters that the attack occurred in the forest midway between Thankayanvacha Kovil point and the Bonacaud Forest Picket station, almost 2 km. downhill.

“We were walking downhill in single file. At 5.30 p.m., those in the front picked up the distinct odour of elephants and signalled to us. We scrambled back uphill and waited in silence for 15 minutes for the herd to pass. We counted seven elephants, most of them cows with babies, as they crossed the trail and disappeared into the forest.

Thinking there was only one herd, those in the vanguard moved forward. Suddenly, a second herd of elephants emerged out of the thick undergrowth. The three in the front ran past the herd yelling in panic. Jayakumar, Anuroop and me were just behind them. The trail downhill was slippery. I fleetingly saw Jayakumar slip and fall in front of a cow elephant. I fell near him, rolled away into the undergrowth, got up, and ran for my life into the forest. I did not see my friends getting trampled. I lost direction.

I dared not even turn to see what was happening to the rest of the group. I kept hearing their cries of panic, sounds of trampling elephants and rustling undergrowth. All of us ran different ways and later regrouped at the forest check-point with the help of two guides,” he said.
Agasthyarkoodam is 1,800 metres above sea level and the highest peak in Southern Kerala.

It is 24 km from Bonacaud. Access to the peak is possible only with Forest Department sanction. More than 50 persons make the two- day trek to the peak every day between December 15 and February 23.

District Forest Officer K. T. Pradeep Kumar said the group which was attacked was the last to start downhill from the peak. Trekkers in front of them had sighted and bypassed the wild herd. The victims had suffered fatal crush injuries on their face, chest and ribs. The department has closed the peak to trekkers. Armed forest rangers will escort those remaining at the base camp at Athirumala to Bonacaud on Sunday morning.