Wild gaur injures scooter rider in Kozhikode, days after fatal attack

A wild gaur attacked a scooter rider at Vattakkayam, near Peruvannamuzhi, in Kozhikode district early on Thursday, leaving him injured. The rider, Kankapalli Aju, was on the Vattakkayam route when the animal charged without warning, throwing him onto the road. His scooter was damaged in the incident. Local residents and passers-by rushed him to a hospital, where he is under treatment.

Recent fatal attack

The incident follows the death of V.C. Sunil, 40, a native of Nadapuram, in a gaur attack at Vilangad on August 29. Sunil, a court employee in Chengannur, was at his native place for the Onam holidays when he joined Forest Department officials in an effort to drive a gaur away from an agricultural field. The animal charged at him when he was unable to move away. He sustained serious injuries and died while undergoing treatment at the Kuttiady Taluk Hospital.

Concerns over human-wildlife conflict

Residents of the Vilangad area have said gaur incursions are a serious threat to farmers, and that power fences put up at vulnerable locations have not succeeded in keeping the animals out. People in Peruvannamuzhi have also sought urgent intervention from the Forest Department, pointing to wild animals increasingly straying onto roads and into areas close to human habitation.