Idukki’s Elephant Corridors: Forest Dept to Review Re‑erected Fences

The forest department in Kerala has once again found itself in the middle of a tug‑of‑war between farmers and wild elephants. Earlier this month officials took down wire ropes and solar‑powered electric fences that dotted cardamom farms in the Panthadikkalam and Choondal pockets of Idukki’s Devikulam range. The aim was simple – let the majestic pachyderms move without hitting a dead‑end.

But the relief was short‑lived. Within a few days, aggrieved landowners, worried about crop damage, set up new barriers in exactly the same spots. The freshly‑erected fences, they argue, are a necessary shield for their livelihoods.

High Range Circle Chief Conservator of Forests D. K. Vinod Kumar has now instructed the Devikulam Range Officer to compile a detailed account of what happened and forward it to the Devikulam Sub‑collector. “We acted on the Collector’s directive and the longstanding demands of tribal communities to clear the fences,” Kumar said, “but the rapid re‑installation by owners has again hampered elephant movement. We will decide next steps based on the Sub‑collector’s guidance.”

The backdrop to this standoff is a recent tragedy. A tribal man lost his life in an elephant attack near the Panthadikkalam settlement, prompting Collector Dineshan Cheruvatt to invoke the Disaster Management Act and order the removal of any barriers that divert elephants into human habitations.

Earlier clean‑up drives by the forest officials in the Choondal area – close to Anayirankal – had successfully reopened a traditional migratory corridor. That corridor, once blocked by private fences, is crucial for the seasonal movements of the region’s elephant herds.

As the department prepares its report, the larger question remains: how to balance the genuine concerns of farmers with the urgent need to protect Kerala’s wildlife corridors? The answer will likely shape policy not just for Idukki, but for many forest‑dependent districts across the state.