A pregnant elephant has died after eating a pineapple filled with firecrackers, Indian wildlife officers say. An investigation has be...
A pregnant elephant has died after eating a pineapple filled with firecrackers, Indian wildlife officers say.
An investigation has been launched after the elephant was found standing in water in Kerala's Silent Valley Forest on 27 May.
A spokesperson from Kerala Forest Department told Sky News that farmers put fireworks inside food and plant it on the edges of their fields to keep wild boars away.
The incident came to light when forest officer Mohan Krishnan, part of the team who attempted to rescue the animal, posted on Facebook.
She trusted everyone. When the pineapple she ate exploded, she must have been shocked not thinking about herself, but about the child she was going to give birth to in 18 to 20 months.
She didn't harm a single human being even when she ran in searing pain in the streets of the village. She didn't crush a single home.
According to forest officials, the wild elephant had allegedly wandered out of the Silent Valley National Park (SVNP) in Palakkad, in search of food.
It reached the bordering area in Malappuram, where the animal allegedly bit into a fruit stuffed with firecrackers.
She was grievously injured, with her upper and lower jaws, as well as her tongue, mangled.
She subsequently stood in a river to soothe her agony before dying upright.
The elephant was taken back inside the forest in a truck, where the forest officials cremated her.
A team from the Kerala Forest Department is investigating, and people are being questioned.
The incident has been condemned by many on social media, and a petition has been started calling for justice.
Many artworks have also been created as tribute to the elephant and her baby.
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The international animal welfare charity, World Animal Protection, has written to the state authorities calling for action, according to The News Minute.
Elephants are India’s heritage animals and they deserve to be treated with care and dignity. Such acts of violence and torture against these sentient creatures is another example that proves wild animals belong in the wild.
The Humane Society International, India has offered a reward of up to 50,000 INR ($662 USD) for information about the perpetrators and their arrest and conviction.
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