Killer tusker in Kerala claims one more life

'Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran', an elephant famous for its height, but infamous for killing spree, claimed one more life near Guruvayur at Thrissur district in Kerala on Friday.

The tusker, aged around 55 and almost fully blind, so far claimed about ten lives. It was earlier banned by the court from public functions.

Ramachandran holds the record of being the tallest living elephant in Kerala and also considered as the second tallest even in Asia. It is owned by the Thechikkottukavu temple in Thrissur district.

Bursting of crackers was said to have caused the tragedy on Friday. The tusker was brought for the festival at a temple at Kottappadi near Guruvayur. It was stationed at a nearby house.

By afternoon, crackers were burst at the adjacent compound. Provoked at this the tusker turned violent and ran amok. Babu, a native of Kannur, was killed.

Many others also suffered injuries while running helter-skelter. The condition of one of them was said to be serious.

In 2013 Thechikkottu Ramachandran had killed three persons at a temple festival at Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district. Despite its killing spree and ban, the elephant attained much demand during the temple festival events. It even enjoyed a huge fan following and even got a social media page.

Over these years, Kerala witnessed scores of incidents of elephants turning amok during festivals and claiming lives. Though restrictions were imposed on parading elephants for festivals, those were followed more in the breach.