Indian state of Kerala looks to cameras, social media to curb elephant attacks

KOCHI, India: After three people died in attacks by elephants in the Indian state of Kerala in the last three weeks, local authorities hope hundreds of new cameras and intense patrolling will help combat the problem, which has sparked protests.

In the most recent incident, a 52-year-old tourist guide was fatally attacked by a herd of elephants on Friday in the town of Pulpally in the forested Wayanad region, local media reported.

Thousands of people blocked roads in the town on Saturday and vandalised a vehicle belonging to the forest department to protest against the incident, with police resorting to baton charging to disperse the crowd, reports said.

Environmental activists, however, blame deforestation as the root cause of the problem, saying elephants are being driven off their natural habitat into more built-up areas.At a meeting on Saturday convened by state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, it was decided that 250 “advanced cameras” will be installed along forest borders and wildlife corridors to monitor the movement of animals.