Daijiworld Media Network – Idukki

Idukki, Jul 24: A wild elephant damaged a ration shop at Anayirangal in Kerala's Idukki district after entering the premises in search of food grains on Friday morning, forest officials said.

The tusker, identified as ‘Chakkakomban’, is known to frequent the Chinnakanal-Santhanpara region in the high-range district.

According to officials, the elephant entered the ration shop around 5.30 am, broke open the premises, pulled out sacks of rice and consumed some of the stored grains.

Local residents, who noticed the commotion, gathered at the spot and managed to drive the elephant back into the nearby forest.

Forest officials said the ration shop has been repeatedly targeted by wild elephants over the years due to its location close to the animals’ natural habitat.

The shop was earlier frequently raided by tusker ‘Arikomban’, which was captured in 2023 and later relocated to a forest area in Tamil Nadu.

Officials said the lack of protective measures has made the Anayirangal ration shop vulnerable to repeated elephant incursions. Unlike the ration shop at Panniyar, where solar fencing has been installed, the Anayirangal facility does not have any protective fencing.

Forest department personnel visited the spot and assessed the extent of damage caused by the elephant.