Kerala’s iconic wild elephant ‘Chillikomban’ dies after being washed away in Parambikulam Aliyar Project contour canal

‘Chillikomban’, a majestic chaotic elephant that mostly roamed astir Kerala’s Nelliampathi hills arsenic its location range, died aft being washed distant successful beardown currents successful the contour canal of the Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP) successful Coimbatore territory connected Saturday (May 23, 2026).

The tusker got trapped successful the PAP contour canal successful Pachathannir wood beat, nether the Sethumadai eastbound conception of the Pollachi wood scope successful the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), astir 4 p.m. connected Saturday, reportedly portion attempting to portion water. Field unit of the Forest Department rushed to the spot and recovered the tusker struggling to respire aft getting trapped successful the canal, which is of astir 20 feet deep, and owed to beardown currents.

The Deputy Director of ATR, the Executive Engineer and Sub-Divisional Officer of the contour canal part of the Public Works Department’s Water Resources Department were informed.

Though efforts were made to rescue the elephant utilizing a backhoe, the elephant could not beryllium lifted owed to its value and the existent successful the canal. The elephant was recovered dormant wrong the canal astir 6.40 p.m. The carcass could not beryllium retrieved instantly arsenic the existent was precocious astatine that time.

Since the 49.3 km canal with a fewer tunnels empties into Thirumoorthy Dam, authorities decided to retrieve the carcass arsenic it gets carried into the reservoir. The Udumalpet Forest Range Officer and unit were alerted astir the incidental and they recovered the carcass from the dam connected Sunday (May 24).

“Chillikomban was known arsenic a docile tusker that lived amongst radical successful the Nelliampathi region, without causing trouble. The tusker would traverse to the Tamil Nadu broadside during musth and instrumentality to the location turf. I person had the accidental to observe the tusker successful adjacent proximity respective times and I americium saddened by its death,” said Sandeep Das, a biologist from Kerala.

According to Sukesh Kumar, a Watcher with the Kerala Forest Department astatine Nelliampathi, ‘Chillikomban’ had successful information been named by Tamil radical arsenic ‘Sullikomban’ (elephant with slender tusks). The nickname yet became Chillikomban successful Kerala, helium said.

No past of attacking humans

“There are nary known reports of the elephant having attacked radical successful Nelliampathi area. It loved jackfruit and mangoes. The tusker utilized to walk the musth play connected Tamil Nadu broadside betwixt December and May. But, it moved to Tamil Nadu broadside successful November past twelvemonth and returned successful April. The tusker went backmost again unusually and that was his past journey,” helium said.

Another chaotic elephant died of getting trapped successful the contour canal successful February this year.

A squad from the WWF India studied the interaction of the unfastened stretches of the contour canal earlier and submitted its study to the Forest Department earlier this year, recommending operation of information ramps, particularly astatine the introduction points of 7 tunnels and different measures to trim wildlife mortality.

“A 2nd elephant decease this twelvemonth highlights the request to instrumentality information measures astatine the earliest,” said D. Boominathan, Deputy Team Leader (WGNL) WWF-India.