Wild elephant wandered into village near Palakkad Silent Valley National Park last month
Thiruvananthapuram:
A man has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala, the Minister of Forests announced today. It was the first arrest in the case that sparked an outcry on social networks. The arrest comes a day after the chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, announced that three suspects had been identified.
Police are looking for more suspects. “The man arrested is a rubber tapper. A search is underway for the others,” said Palakkad district police chief G Siva Vikram Said.
Forest officials said the elephant could have died from serious mouth injuries after eating explosives mixed with an edible substance, usually used as a trap to prevent wild animals such as wild boars from destroying crops.
The man, in his forties, allegedly handled explosives and also helped other people, according to wildlife chief Surendra Kumar.
The wild elephant got lost in a village near Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad last month and is suspected of having eaten something with stuffed firecrackers. It exploded in the mouth of the elephant. The animal walked for days in agony before entering a river and dying standing on May 27.
Villagers in the region often use firecrackers or explosives filled with food – fruit or animal fat – to protect their fields from wild animals such as wild boar. This horrible practice has been widely condemned.
Photos shared on social media showed the elephant standing in the river with its mouth and trunk in the water, perhaps for a relief from what can only be imagined as excruciating pain.
Vijayan said his government’s investigation would also try to resolve the growing number of human-wildlife conflicts. “Climate change could negatively affect local communities and animals,” he tweeted.
