Forest officers in Wayanad undertake daring attempt to save Tribal family

Wayanad: Amidst the harrowing reports from Wayanad, which was hit by a recent catastrophic landslide, a daring attempt by forest officers who rescued four toddlers and their parents belonging to a tribal community is gaining attention.

A four-member team led by Kalpetta Range Forest Officer, K Hashis, on Thursday undertook a dangerous trek deep inside the forest to rescue a tribal family which included four toddlers aged between one and four.

The family, which belongs to the Paniya community of Wayanad, was stranded in a cave atop a hill overlooking a deep gorge, and it took over a four-and-a-half-hour trek for the team to reach there.

Speaking to PTI on Friday, Hashis said they found the mother and a four-year-old child wandering near the forest region on Thursday and, upon inquiry, came to know about her three other children and their father stranded in a cave without food.

Hashis said the family belonged to a particular section of the tribal community, which generally avoided interactions with outsiders.

"They normally survive on forest products and sell them in the local market to purchase rice. However, it seems like, due to the landslide and the heavy rains, they were unable to procure any food," he said.

The Forest Range Officer narrated their perilous journey, in which they had to encounter slippery and steep rocks amid heavy downpours.

"The children were tired, and we fed them with whatever we had carried. Later, after much persuasion, their father agreed to come with us, and we tied the children to our bodies and started our trek back," Hashis said.

The officers had to tie ropes to trees and rocks to climb the slippery rocks, which he described as hazardous.

They returned to the Attamala anti-poaching office, where the children were fed and given clothes and footwear.

"Currently, they are housed there. The children are safe now," he said.

The visual of one of the officers holding a child close went viral on social media on Friday.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took to social media to hail the challenging attempt of the forest officials.

"Six precious lives were saved from a remote tribal settlement after a tireless 8-hour operation by our courageous forest officials in landslide-hit Wayanad. Their heroism reminds us that Kerala's resilience shines brightest in the darkest times. United in hope, we will rebuild and emerge stronger," Vijayan posted on 'X' on Friday.

Along with Hashis, section forest officer, B S Jayachandran, beat forest officer, K Anil Kumar and RRT (Rapid Response Team) member Anoop Thomas took part in the over seven-kilometer-long journey to rescue the family.

As the rain intensified, the forest department shifted most of the members of the tribal communities in Wayanad to secure places.

The said family, however, had been living inside the forest for some time, the officer added.