A 26-year old woman died following an attack by a wild elephant at a resort in Wayanad in Kerala on Sunday night, prompting the authorities to clamp down on tent tourism near forest areas.
Shahana, a native of Kannur district, met with the tragic death. While the initial reports were that she was trampled by a wild elephant, police maintained that the exact cause of death was not yet known as there were no external injuries on her body.
The incident took place at a resort close to the forest areas near Meppadi, about 10 kilometres from Kalpetta town. The victim was part of a group of tourists from a private college in Kannur. They were staying in tents close to the forest areas. By night, a wild elephant reached the spot and the tourists ran away. Shahana was later found with serious injuries. Though she was rushed to nearby hospital she was declared died.
The local police said that even as it was suspected that she was trampled to death by the elephant, the post mortem examination report was awaited to ascertain the exact cause as there were no visible injuries on her body. The chances of a fatal fall while running through the uneven terrain or suffering a cardiac arrest could not be ruled out.
Following the incident, the district administration decided to ensure the safety of all tents set up for tourists by resorts, which are a major tourist attraction of the locality.
District collector Adeela Abdulla said that many resorts seem to be functioning without proper safety measures like fencing to prevent the wild animal attack. "Many resorts were also suspected to have set up tents close to forest areas without obtaining clearance of forest department and local bodies. Many were even in landslide-prone areas", she said.
The resort where the mishap occurred was closed by the local panchayat authorities after it was found to be having no proper licence.