Mananthavady: With the Deccan Plateau experiencing summer heat and the border forests of Wayanad drying up, elephants from nearby arid regions are once again migrating to the water-rich zones of Wayanad. Among them is the notorious Belur Makhna, a makhna elephant (tuskless male) that terrorised Chaligadda near Payyampalli last year, killing a man on February 11, 2023. The elephant was sighted grazing in Wayanad forests over the past few days.

In response to alerts from across the border, the forest department has initiated measures to monitor the movement of such elephants in coordination with their Karnataka counterparts.

The agrarian communities living on the forest fringes in Wayanad’s border regions are deeply concerned about the return of Belur Makhna. The elephant, which recently crossed into Wayanad, has reportedly been driven back by trained field staff and is now located near the forest zones of Kutta, Karnataka. Patrolling has been intensified by Kerala's forest department staff and local residents to prevent elephants, including Belur Makhna, from entering human habitats.

Captured in Belur under the Hassan forest division in Karnataka, the animal was radio-collared and released into the Moolahalla area of the Bandipur forest region on November 11, 2023. Nicknamed "Belur Makhna," the elephant crossed into Wayanad in February last year, wreaking havoc in border villages. On February 10, 2023, it trampled a local resident, Panachiyil Ajeesh of Padamala, to death while being driven back into the forest. Recently, the elephant was spotted roaming in the Tholpetty forest range of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and the Begur forest range of the North Wayanad Forest Division.

Chief Conservator of Forests (Northern Circle) KS Deepa assured that the Kerala and Karnataka forest departments are working together to prevent human casualties like those reported last summer. "There is no need for alarm," she said. "Unlike in the past, Karnataka personnel now inform us whenever problem animals move towards Kerala, allowing us to intensify border patrolling. Field staff and the Rapid Response Team have been instructed to exercise extreme caution and act immediately in such cases," she added.