N.R. Jijeesh, a sub-engineer with the Kerala State Electricity Board at Mananthavady in Wayanad, was riding his two-wheeler back home to Palvelicham, 15km from his office, at 7pm on July 23 when a wild elephant tossed him into the ground.

Fortunately, the elephant didn’t trample him to death. But it left him with multiple fractures.

Jijeesh, 38, is bedridden after hip surgery at a private hospital in neighbouring Kozhikode (Wayanad lacks multi-specialty hospitals). “This was the second animal attack Jijeesh faced. A year ago, a deer disturbed his two-wheeler, causing him a shoulder fracture,” brother-in-law Suneesh told The Telegraph.

"This time, he has broken his shoulder, spine and hip. The hip surgery alone cost ₹4.4 lakh, which was paid by his personal medical insurance. The forest department says it will provide a ₹1-lakh compensation. Is that all for a government employee attacked by a wild elephant?”

Jijeesh’s wife Swapna Balakrishnan, a high-school teacher, has had to take a prolonged leave to look after her husband. She has two school-going girls and a baby boy to take care of, too.

Jijeesh was lucky to survive. The families of many of those killed by wild animals in the forested Wayanad district of Kerala say they are still waiting for the state government to provide the promised compensation and job.

Over the last few years, Wayanad has witnessed several street protests against attacks by wild animals such as elephants, leopards and tigers. The government directs the district and forest officials to pacify the often-violent crowds, and several promises are made.

Ajeesh Joseph of Mananthavady was trampled to death by a wild elephant, which came from neighbouring Karnataka, on February 10 last year. When this correspondent visited his house, his wife Sheeba and younger son Alan — who had a severe ear infection — were preparing to go to a nearby hospital.

A tearful Sheeba said the compensation she had received was not enough and the promised job had stayed elusive. "The Kerala and Karnataka governments gave ₹10 lakh and ₹15 lakh, respectively. I won’t be able to bring up my children alone," Sheeba said.

“There’s no word so far about the promised government job. I have to take care of Aji’s elderly parents as well. His 74-year-old mother is a stroke patient.”

Alan, a Class VI student, insisted that this newspaper not take their pictures. “Several TV channels and newspapers covered our plight. Nothing happened, just empty promises,” Alan said.

When politicians visited their home last year, his elder sister Alna, 14, had shouted at them, leaving them speechless, heads bowed in shame.

Kerala forest minister A.K. Saseendran said the law mandated the state government to pay ₹10 lakh as compensation in such cases.

“The state government can only provide temporary jobs to the families of the victims. They are asking for permanent jobs, which can only be given through the public service commission, and they are overage for the qualifying exam,” Saseendran said.

In mid-February, the Union environment ministry told the Rajya Sabha that Kerala had recorded 460 deaths and 4,527 injuries from human-wildlife conflict during 2020-2024.