Man dies after elephant attack in Gudalur

The forest department has confirmed that a 55-year-old man, who was injured in a wild elephant attack in Bitherkad forest area in Gudalur late on Tuesday night (June 2, 2026), died of his injuries in the early hours of Thursday morning (June 4).

The deceased has been identified as M. Sugumaran, a resident of Nilakottai in Bitherkad. Sugumaran was reportedly returning home from a shop on Tuesday night when he was attacked by a wild elephant. Citizens around who heard his screams ran to help and managed to drive the animal away.

Immediately after the incident, a passing vehicle’s camera captured video showing the injured Sugumaran being treated by local residents. They then managed to immediately take him to the government hospital at Sultan Bathery in Kerala for treatment.

Forest department officials said his condition was stable until Wednesday evening, June 3. However, his condition deteriorated and he died from his injuries at around 1.30am on Thursday morning. Sugumaran’s next of kin will be given immediate compensation of Rs 10 lakh, officials said.

He added that citizens were urged not to leave their homes unnecessarily after dusk and efforts were being made to remove wild elephants approaching human settlements.

In a separate incident, a 54-year-old man was injured when a leopard accidentally entered his house in Kolipalam near Gudalur. Local residents managed to save the victim, Gajendran, and took him to the hospital. It was said that his injuries were not life-threatening.