Protests in Wayanad over man-animal conflicts

Wayanad. Public protests erupted in Pulpally town in Kerala’s Wayanad district on Saturday after a 52-year-old ecotourism guide was killed in an elephant attack near the Kuruvadweep tourist centre, the second human fatality in such an attack in the district within a week.
What began as a funeral procession with the mortal remains of VP Pau, who was killed in an attack by a herd of wild elephants on Friday morning, quickly turned into an angry demonstration on the streets of Pulpally as locals demanded sustainable solutions to the human-animal conflict.
The police tried to persuade the protesters to hand over Paul’s body for final rites at his home in Pakkam, 3km from Pulpally town, the mob resisted, resulting in scuffles. He was laid to rest on Saturday evening.
The mob also gheraoed a forest department vehicle and laid a wreath on it to send the message that the department failed in protecting the lives of people from animal attacks. Some proceeded to deflate tyres of the vehicle and a few others placed the remains of a cow killed by a tiger the day before to underline the seriousness of the issue. Several priests and nuns from Christian congregations participated in the protests.