A wild tusker on Saturday morning attacked Kunjan, 55, of Cholangadi, near Aanappara, in the Tholpetty range of forests under the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. The tusker destroyed his house.
Mr. Kunjan was admitted to the District Hospital at Mananthavady with serious injuries. His nine-year-old daughter escaped the tusker attack. The elephant also partially destroyed the house of Raju Cholangadi and a cattle shed of Raju Aranappara, the villagers said.
Chased back into woods
Later, a team of forest officials managed to drive away the wild tusker into the forest after a two-hour effort.
The elephant had attacked a motorcyclist at Kuthirakode, near Thirunelly, two days ago. He was admitted to the Kozhikode medical college hospital with serious injuries.
The man-animal conflict in the region had worsened considerably of late. Villagers said elephants strayed into human habitations drawn by the smell of ripe jackfruits. The Forest Department had installed power fencing and dug trenches to curb wildlife menace. But, the fences were not functioning properly, said the villagers.