In a horrific incident, a 15-year-old pregnant elephant died in Kerala, standing in water, on 27 May, after she was fed a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers, offered to her allegedly by some locals. The fruit had exploded in her mouth, leading to her death.
The inhumane act came into limelight after the section forest officer Mohan Krishnan, part of the Rapid Response Team in northern Kerala's Malappuram district, went to rescue the pregnant elephant and realized how severely she suffered.
Officer Mohan decided to take this incident on social media as he wanted everybody to know how the harmless animal trusted us, the humans when she was hungry.
“She trusted everyone. When the pineapple she ate exploded, she must have been shocked to not think about herself, but about the child, she was going to give birth to in 18 to 20 months.” Mohan Krishnan, Forest Officer
The wild elephant had left the forest and was wandering in the nearby village in search of food. The explosion had badly injured her tongue and mouth and the elephant walked around the village, in searing pain, and in hunger.
“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. This is why I said, she is full of goodness.” Mohan Krishnan, Forest Officer
The doctor who conducted her post-mortem found a nearly two-month-old fetus. "From the uterus, we could make out it was the first pregnancy of the elephant," said the doctor. The doctor, the officers, everyone was grieved by this whole incident.
The kind-hearted officer Mohan decided to cremate the 15-year old elephant in the land she grew in. "She needs to be given a farewell she deserved"
"We cremated her in a pyre there. We bowed before her and paid our last respects," the Officer said.
Animal Rights activist and Member of Parliament took to twitter and demanded Kerala government for strict actions against this inhumane act.
The harmless creature lost her child, her family because a group of humans decided to play a game with her. A game that cost her life.
In view of this gruesome incident, the Kerala Forest Department has launched a 'manhunt' for those responsible for this inhumane activity. The forest officers are determined to find the perpetrators of this crime but this brutal incident has raised serious questions about the world we live in.