Wayanad: An employee of the Kuruva Tourism Project, who was wounded when a herd of elephants attacked him on Friday, succumbed to injuries.

Paul (50), a native of Vellachal near Pakkam, was initially admitted to Medical College Hospital, Mananthavady and later referred to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for further treatment. 

A herd of elephants attacked him while he was travelling to his workplace in a two-wheeler at 9 am on Friday.  He was employed at Kruruvadweep Vana Samrakshana Samithy as an eco-tourism guide. He encountered the elephant while stationed near the Eco Tourism centre to turn away people from the area due to the ongoing operation to capture the jumbo which had trampled to death another man last Saturday, a Forest official said.

The elephant stomped on the guide causing serious injuries to his rib cage and back. He was then shifted to Kozhikode medical college where he died, the official added.

The attack occurred a day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a meeting with people's representatives from the hilly district and issued a slew of directions to prevent human-animal encounters there.

Last week, a 42-year-old man was trampled to death by a radio-collared elephant in the Mananthavady area of the district.

The elephant, which had strayed into the inhabited areas of the district, was radio-collared in Karnataka. The jumbo is yet to be caught despite the Forest department pressing into service several Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), kumki elephants and even a thermal camera to detect the pachyderm in the dense forests in the area. 

Hartal in Wayanad
Meanwhile, the UDF, LDF and BJP have called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Wayanad on Saturday. The public staged a massive protest at Pakkam near Pulppalli protesting the alleged lethargy of state and central governments in protecting human life.