Munnar landscape records most deaths from wild elephant attacks in Keralam
A Wildlife Institute of India study finds the Munnar area had the highest human fatalities from wild elephant attacks in Keralam between 2008 and 2025, totaling 103 deaths. The broader report covers 581 human deaths, 1,200 injuries, and 1,781 human-elephant conflict incidents across the state.
Key takeaways
- The Munnar landscape recorded the highest number of human deaths from wild elephant attacks in Keralam between 2008 and 2025.
- Statewide figures for the period include 581 human deaths, 1,200 injuries, and 1,781 HEC incidents.
- The SAIEE estimates 2,785 wild elephants in Keralam; 695 elephant deaths occurred, with 154 due to electrocution and 17 from train collisions.
What Happened
The Munnar landscape in Keralam registered the highest number of human fatalities due to wild elephant attacks over an 18-year span, with 103 deaths documented between 2008 and 2025. This finding comes from a Wildlife Institute of India (WII) study conducted with support from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The overall study covers 581 human deaths, 1,200 injuries, and 1,781 human-elephant conflict (HEC) incidents in the state during the same period. Within the landscape-level breakdown, the Kottayam forest division recorded 88 deaths and the Nilambur division 75 deaths. The report also notes that males constitute the majority of victims among humans and elephants, across seasons.
A wild tusker near Munnar, described as Padayappa, was photographed in Devikulam, near Munnar, and the image is used as part of the presentation of the study’s findings. The states’ population of wild elephants is estimated at 2,785 under the Synchronised All India Elephant Estimation (SAIEE) framework.
Why It Matters
The study frames human-elephant conflict (HEC) as a conservation and management challenge for Keralam, highlighting that rapid land-use changes, habitat fragmentation, expanding agriculture and plantations, and new infrastructure such as roads and railways have intensified elephant encounters with people. These dynamics contribute to the higher incidence of conflicts and fatalities in certain landscapes, notably Munnar. The report calls for landscape-level planning, securing elephant corridors, elephant-friendly infrastructure, and stronger community-based early-warning systems to improve coexistence across Keralam and the Western Ghats.
Background
The findings come from a state-spanning assessment by the Wildlife Institute of India, prepared with the support of the Union Ministry. The period analyzed runs from 2008 to 2025 and includes data on human deaths, injuries, and conflict incidents related to elephants. The SAIEE framework provides the elephant population baseline for the state, which is used to contextualize conflict dynamics. Within the state, the Munnar landscape is identified as the area with the highest fatalities linked to wild elephant attacks, followed by the Kottayam and Nilambur divisions in terms of death counts.
Key Facts
- 103 human deaths due to wild elephant attacks in the Munnar landscape (2008–2025).
- 581 human deaths, 1,200 injuries, and 1,781 HEC incidents across Keralam in the same period.
- SAIEE-estimated wild elephant population in Keralam: 2,785.
- Among regions, Munnar landscape: 103 deaths; Kottayam: 88 deaths; Nilambur: 75 deaths.
- 695 wild elephant deaths recorded over the 18-year period; 226 human-induced, 469 natural causes.
- Electrocution caused 154 elephant deaths; train collisions caused 17 deaths.
- Unnatural causes accounted for 88 tuskers and 59 sub-adult male elephant deaths.
- Elephants damage around 45 crop species in Keralam, including banana, coconut, and jackfruit being especially affected.
- Seasonal pattern: monsoon season saw the highest number of conflict incidents, followed by post-monsoon, pre-monsoon, and winter seasons.
- Recommendations include landscape-level planning, safeguarding elephant corridors, elephant-friendly infrastructure, and enhanced community-based early-warning systems.
What Happens Next
The report outlines steps to strengthen planning and infrastructure to reduce human-elephant conflicts, emphasizing corridor security, landscape-scale strategies, and community-based alerts to foster longer-term coexistence in Keralam and the Western Ghats.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
