Pulppally: A 22-year-old youth walking through the jungle to reach his village in Karnataka was killed in an elephant attack in the Pathiri forest section of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary on Wednesday night. The victim has been identified as Vishnu, a resident of Karnataka. The incident occurred at around 8.30 pm near the Kollivayal tribal settlement.

After the attack, Vishnu was found seriously injured and lying in a pool of blood. A team of forest staff carried him from the forest to the nearest motorable spot and rushed him to the Government Medical College Hospital, Mananthavady. However, he succumbed to his injuries on the way.

Forest officials remain uncertain about why Vishnu chose to walk through the forest zone, notorious for its elephant herds, especially late in the evening. They suspect he may have taken the route due to some urgent matter requiring him to return to his village.

As it is the migration season for elephants from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to Kerala, the Wayanad forests currently have a high elephant population, including some identified as problem animals, officials noted.