Kabali 'road show' continues; lifts KSRTC bus with his tusks

Of late, Kabali has become the star of many videos shared on social media. But the forest department has cautioned tourists against provoking the tusker as even a honk of the horn irritates an animal in musth

The lone tusker, named Kabali by forest officials in Kerala, is in no mood to relent. Roaming near the Athirappilly-Valparai Ghat Road, he has been chasing vehicles and blocking traffic since October as the tusker is in the peak of its musth period.

The latest incident of his violence towards vehicles on the road happened last night when he attacked a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus on its way to Malakkappara in Thrissur district. He charged towards the bus, lifted it with his tusks, kept it down, and toyed with it for more than two hours. Though Kabali unleashed his fury on the bus, all the passengers and crew were unhurt.

The incident occurred at the first hairpin at Ambalappara in Palakkad district, which has been in the news recently because of Kabali's 'road show'. After his attack, the bus was delayed by two hours, and it reached Malakkappara by 11 pm.

Forest officials had named him Kabali after the Rajnikanth movie of the same name, where the protagonist fights gangsters to protect his family. Like him, this Kabali now attacks anyone who violates his and his partner’s privacy.

Last week, a bus driver heroically drove the vehicle in reverse for 8 kilometres as Kabali charged towards it. The tusker chased the bus for nearly an hour before retreating into the forest.

Two weeks ago, he toppled a jeep belonging to the forest department when the officials were out on patrol and destroyed it completely. He raided the Sholayar powerhouse, too which forced KSEB to erect a protective fence around its premises.

According to forest officials, the soft-natured Kabali turned violent only because the musth lasted nearly three months. These days, he is constantly present on the road in the Sholayar range. Sometimes he stays right in the middle and blocks traffic for hours. Often, drivers are forced to reverse for kilometres to avoid confrontation with the tusker.

Since the road is frequented by tourist vehicles and lorries and trucks carrying tea leaves from the estates in Malakkappara, Kabali’s violent acts have come to create traffic congestion right from the morning.

Of late, Kabali has become the star of many videos shared on social media. But the forest department has cautioned tourists against provoking the tusker as even a honk of the horn irritates an animal in musth. The department has increased patrolling in this area to spot his movements and keep the road safe for vehicles to pass.