A court at Pattambi remanded tapping worker Wilson, 35, for two weeks in judicial custody on Saturday. He was arrested on Friday in connection with the death of an elephant in a stream at Ambalappara under Mannarkkad forest range.
He was charged with baiting the elephant with an explosive-laden coconut in the forest fringes. The trap had been set for wild boars, but the elephant accidentally chomped the bait.
Two other suspects are absconding. Forest officials said they were searching for the father-son duo, who owned an estate at Orukkampara, near Thiruvizhamkunnu. A joint search is on with the help of the police.
Hunting boars
Forest officials said that they had experience in hunting wild boars by baiting them with coconuts and fruits.
The elephant that chewed the bait suffered a fatal wound in its mouth and it spent nearly two weeks outside the jungle with that wound. The attempts by the forest officials to drive the animal back to the jungle failed as it stood the ground.
The elephant entered the stream as a last resort to cool its wound. Two days later, while attempts were made to rescue it with the help of two kumki elephants, the pachyderm succumbed to its injury. The death was due to drowning.
Conflict
People living on the fringes of the forests were facing conflicts with wild animals, particularly wild boars.
Eliminating wild boars that come to destroy their crops with explosive snares is a common practice among them.
Although forest officials charge cases, many incidents often go undetected. Forest officials said they would not relax the laws for anyone.