Chennai, Feb 5: The Tamil Nadu forest department has intensified patrolling in the Valparai region following the death of a 77-year-old German tourist, Mickel Jurcen, who was attacked by a wild elephant near Tiger Valley on the Pollachi-Valparai road in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) on Tuesday evening. Jurcen was riding a rented two-wheeler towards Valparai around 6 p.m. when he encountered the elephant.
Several vehicles had stopped on the road, waiting for the animal to move away. Despite warnings from other motorists, the German tourist continued riding toward the elephant. As he approached, the elephant charged and tossed him aside, leading to fatal injuries. Forest department officials from ATR said that special teams will be deployed to mitigate the threat of wild elephants and reduce human-elephant conflicts, which have recently turned deadly.
Since May 2024, three people, including a college student, have lost their lives in similar encounters with wild elephants in Valparai. On May 8, 2024, a tribal activist named Ravi was trampled to death while returning home to Nedungundru village with five others after selling honey collected from the forest. S.Mukesh (18), a second year B.Sc computer science student was attacked by a wild elephant on June 1,2024 while riding a bike with a friend on the Sholayar Dam Estate Road in Puthukkad, while on December 9, 2024, a herd of elephants attacked workers’ quarters at Gajamudi Estate around midnight.
Chandran (62) and three others, including two women, were caught in the attack. While trying to escape, Chandran suffered severe injuries from a fall and later died during treatment at Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) on December 17, 2024. Before these incidents, the last human fatality due to an elephant attack in Valparai occurred on June 4, 2021. Between 1991 and 2021, approximately 49 people have lost their lives in human-elephant conflicts in the region.
Every year, around 200 elephants from neighbouring states migrate into the Valparai hills, beginning in August and peaking between October and November, before gradually retreating by February. The lush green vegetation following monsoon rains attracts these herds. To curb human-wildlife conflicts, ATR authorities have implemented a Smart Virtual Fencing System at strategic locations across the plateau. This initiative has significantly reduced elephant related damages in human settlements. With patrolling efforts ramped up, the forest department aims to enhance safety measures and spread awareness among tourists and locals to prevent further tragedies.