Munnar tusker Padayappa, which is in musth, could turn violent if provoked, say expert

Heavy traffic and repeated attempts by tourists to take selfies with the elephant can provoke the animal

Padayappa, a wild tusker that is frequently sighted in and around Munnar, has been having a hard time dealing with repeated provocations by taxi drivers.

Recently, while the tusker was at a tea plantation at Kadalar, a taxi driver stopped by and started honking, thereby scaring the animal. Another vehicle driver tried to follow the tusker till a distance at Kuttiyar Valley.

Last month, the tusker broke two motorbikes at Kuttiyar Valley near Munnar. According to Forest department officials, the din of heavy traffic and the repeated attempts by tourists to take selfies with it provoked the animal. Traffic was disrupted in the area for an hour, till the elephant moved back to the forest.

According to sources, tourists are being wooed to the area with the prospects of taking a selfie with the pachyderm.“Some jeep drivers take the tourists too close to Padayappa, which triggers panic in the animal,” said the source.

Munnar Range Officer Arun Maharaja told The Hindu that the Forest department will take action against the vehicle drivers soon. The department will not allow such actions.

Assistant forest veterinary surgeon Dr. Nisha Raichel said that Padayappa is now in a musth period. “The Forest department has been tracking the tusker’s movement. The tusker will be in musth for next one month. It is very dangerous to provoke the animal in musth period,” Dr. Raichel said.

Elephant expert Dr. P.S. Essa said such provocations caused the animal to turn violent. “Though the animal is familiar with people, it will accept human interaction only to a limit. Tusker should not be provoked,” Mr. Essa said.