Last Wednesday, the wild elephant lost its way in a village near the Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad.
New Delhi:
The death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala after eating a pineapple stuffed with explosives will be investigated by the central government, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said today. There was a wave of rage and grief after tragic images of the elephant, who died in a river, appeared in a forest officer’s position earlier this week.
The government has taken “a very serious note” of the killing of the elephant, said Javadekar. “We will not leave any stone to properly investigate and catch the culprit (s). It is not an Indian culture to feed firecrackers and kill,” the minister tweeted.
The central government has taken the killing of an elephant in Mallapuram very seriously, #Kerala. We will not leave any stones unreturned to properly investigate and catch the culprit (s). It is not an Indian culture to feed firecrackers and kill.@moefcc@PIB_India@PIBHindi
– Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) June 4, 2020
Although Mr. Javadekar’s tweet stated that the incident took place in Mallapuram, the elephant died in the Palakkad district of Kerala.
The wild elephant wandered into a village near Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad last Wednesday when it ate a pineapple filled with firecrackers. It exploded in his mouth and in this state, the elephant walked for days in pain before entering a river and dying standing on May 27.
Photos shared on social media showed the elephant standing in the river with its mouth and trunk in the water, possibly for unbearable pain relief. Authorities have guessed from its reduced form that the animal may have eaten the fruit 20 days ago and has been starving since.
Villagers in the area often use firecrackers or fruit filled with explosives to protect their fields from wild animals.
A similar incident occurred last month when an elephant was found injured in the mouth in a nearby neighborhood, officials said. His jaw was broken and he too died from his injuries. Authorities are investigating whether the elephant also ate fruit filled with explosives.
There was widespread outrage on social media after Mohan Krishnan, a forest officer, posted an emotional note on his Facebook page. “When we saw her, she was standing in the river, her head submerged in the water. She had the sixth feeling that she was going to die. She took the Jalasamadhi in the river while standing,” Krishnan wrote. , who had been responsible for saving the elephant.
“She did not harm any human being even when she ran in burning pain through the village streets,” he wrote.
Celebrities, activities and thousands of social media users demanded action and expressed sadness at the death of the elephant.
One most act #inhuman to completely feed a pineapple full of firecrackers for friendly wild pregnant women # The elephant is simply unacceptable..a strict action must be taken against the culprits sir ????????@vijayanpinarayi@CMOKerala@PrakashJavdekar@moefcc@ntca_indiahttps://t.co/ittFQogkQV
– Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) June 2, 2020
The literacy rate does not reflect education. # The elephantpic.twitter.com/r4gLkzaQaQ
– Haimanti (@theinkedletters) June 3, 2020
Somewhere in the land of God, not in Kerala ..# The elephantpic.twitter.com/TUdVTdfBVj
– Rashi Verma (@AdvRashi) June 3, 2020
Kerala’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, said on Wednesday that strict measures would be taken against those responsible for the death of the elephant. “The forestry department is investigating the case and the culprits will be brought to justice,” said Vijayan.
A first information report was filed against unknown persons. No arrests have been made so far.
