The Kerala Forest Department’s Rapid Response Team (RRT) member who was injured by a wild elephant in Palappilly near Thrissur died on Thursday, September 15. Hussain Kalpur was part of the team in Wayanad and was working at the veterinary squad division of the Forest department. He was renowned for his skills in guiding wild elephants back into the forest using kumki elephants.

Palappilly witnesses frequent attacks by wild animals. The team from Wayanad reached the region following repeated complaints from locals. They were in Palappilly for a few days before the incident. On September 4, as the team was resting at noon, they received news about a tusker standing on the road, and rushed to the spot to chase it away. When Hussain tried to approach the tusker with kumki elephants, it hit him on the back with its trunk, causing massive injuries to his spine and internal bleeding. He was immediately rushed to the Thrissur Jubilee Mission Hospital and was under treatment there for the last 10 days. His condition worsened by Wednesday evening. On Thursday morning, he was shifted to another private hospital in Ernakulam where he succumbed to his injuries.

Well-known as an experienced elephant trainer in Wayanad and other districts, Hussain had worked across Kerala for the protection of wild elephants.

“Hussain played a major role in drugging, trapping and protecting wildlife in Wayanad, where human-wildlife conflict is rampant. He had an undying passion for wildlife conservation. His death is a great loss for Wayanad,” said Badusha, President of the NGO Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi.