Viral News: Elephant Rampage at Kerala Temple Festival Leaves Many Injured

A shocking incident unfolded at the Tharakkal temple festival in Kerala when an elephant, Guruvayur Ravikrishnan, carrying the ‘Ammathiruvady’ deity, went on a rampage and attacked another elephant, Puthupally Arjunan. 

The incident, captured on video and circulated on social media, occurred around 10:30 pm on Friday, causing panic among devotees and resulting in several injuries.

In the viral video, Guruvayur Ravikrishnan can be seen charging at Puthupally Arjunan, who was carrying the ‘Arattupuzha’ deity, and chasing it for almost one kilometer. The elephant’s mahout, Sreekumar, narrowly escaped multiple attempts by the rampaging elephant to attack him.

Elephants at religious festival in India go on rampage, attack each other, then turn on the crowd. Dozens were injured. pic.twitter.com/vu7T4chh0y

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) March 23, 2024

The chaotic scene led to injuries among festival attendees, with some individuals carried by the elephants also sustaining harm. Despite attempts by the elephant squad, both elephants continued to charge and chase each other until they were eventually brought under control.

Recently, a 62-year-old woman was attacked and killed by a wild elephant in a forest area near Athirappally. In February, a 42-year-old man died after being attacked by a wild elephant that strayed into a human settlement near Mananthavad.

This incident adds to the ongoing issue of human-animal conflicts, where several fatalities have occurred due to encounters with wild animals. The recent attack serves as a reminder of the challenges faced in managing interactions between humans and wildlife in the region.