Arikkomban, a bull elephant fond of eating rice, which also earned him the moniker, lazily forages in a thicket along with his herd in Chinnakanal area of this high range district. He is oblivious to the media frenzy that has been created in the state which is divided between keeping him in captivity or relocating him deep into some other forest area. There are differences of opinion regarding the fate of the tusker with animal lovers advocating for his relocation, while local residents are demanding that he be captured and removed from the area or kept in captivity. Angels Nair, general secretary of NGO Animal Legal Force Integration, said, ”The state government has no power to capture elephants and keep them in captivity. They also have no powers to train them into kumki elephants.” ”Moreover, if they ensure a source of food for the elephant, it would not foray into the residential and inhabited areas,” he told PTI. On the other hand, protesting residents of Santhapara, Chinnakanal and neighbouring grama panchayats, bordering the famous hill station Munnar in Kerala’s Idukki district, are fed up with the antics of the tusker and want him removed from the area. One such resident, a woman, said, ”I live alone with my mother. One night the elephant came there and damaged our house. Several others have faced this problem. Is human life more important than the freedom of one tusker? He is a nuisance now.” Even politicians have joined the cause espoused by the local residents. Congress MP from Idukki, Dean Kuriakose, said, ”The Kerala High Court was misled by the petitioners into staying capture of the elephant. People are scared of coming out of their homes. There is no solution but to capture Arikkomban and remove him from the area.” Media attention was initially drawn to the tusker when visuals of it breaking into homes and ration shops went viral on social media. However, it was the intervention of the Kerala High Court — which has for now allowed Arikkomban to stroll around freely for a few more days — that focused the media glare on the issue. The High Court in a late night sitting on March 23 stomped the brakes on the government’s move to dart and cage Arikkomban in an elephant kraal on March 26.
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