A wild elephant strayed into a popular retreat centre on November 12 and injured several people, one seriously, in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It demolished a boundary wall and barged into the Nirmala Retreat Centre in Thamarassery while nearly 100 people were attending a weekly retreat. Parakkulam Mathew, a retreatant, was attacked by the elephant and was taken to hospital. Several panic-stricken people, while trying to escape, sustained minor injuries. “Frightened by the sight of a rampaging wild elephant early in the morning, we fled to safety,” said Sicely Jose, a participant. A wall of the centre run by Missionary Sisters of Mary Immaculate (MSMI) in Kulathuvayal and some vehicles were damaged, causing around 300,000 rupees ($6000) worth of damage, Sr Joyce of MSMI said. The elephant, which came from the forest bordering Kozhikode-Wayanad districts of Kerala, was chased away into the forest.
