Rs 5 lakh compensation for kin of man killed by jumbo

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Forest Department will give a compensation of Rs five lakh to the family of a man who was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Aralam in Kannur district.

Forest Minister K Raju said here that the government would also meet the expenses in connection with the funeral of 45-year-old Biju, who was attacked and killed by the pachyderm which strayed into the human settlement from the nearby wildlife sanctuary late last night.

“A compensation of Rs five lakh will be given to the family of Biju who was killed in the attack of wild jumbo at Narikkadavu region in Aralam,” he said in a release.

The minister said though the department has erected fencing in the region to check the straying of wild animals, especially jumbos, it was absent in some areas due to the objection raised by a land owner.

The rouge elephant, which strayed into the place through this area, attacked and killed the hapless man.

A meeting chaired by the minister was held at the district collectorate on January 7 to work out permanent solutions to end the menace of human-animal conflict in Kannur.

Immediate steps would be taken to implement decisions taken at the meeting, to end the menace, the minister added.