On May 27, a pregnant and hungry female elephant died in Kerala, India. The reason for her death was excruciating pain after it bit into a pineapple that was filled with firecrackers. The firecrackers burst into her mouth causing her immense pain and damaging her jaw grievously. In a panic, the pregnant elephant frantically rushed back to her home several miles away in the Silent Valley National Park, Kerala, India. Suffering from critical injuries, the only way the elephant could ease her pain was by submerging the remnants of her jaw into the water.
A spokesperson from the Kerala Forest Department said that farmers are known to put fireworks inside food and plant it on the edges of their fields to keep away the wild animals from damaging their crops. The horrific incident came to the attention of the public when forest officer Mohan Krishnan, part of the team who attempted to rescue the animal, shared the story on his social media platform, 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,” Mr Krishnan said the Sky news. Officials say the wild elephant probably wandered out of the Silent Valley National Park (SVNP) as she was hungry and was in search of food. It is believed to have reached the Malappuram District, where the pregnant elephant allegedly bit into the fruit stuffed with firecrackers and damaged her jaws.
Maneka Gandhi, Animal rights activist said Malapurram is one of the most dangerous places for animals in the whole county as compared to others. “It is a murder, Malappuram is famous for such incidents, it is India’s most violent district. For instance, they throw poison on roads so that 300-400 birds and dogs die at one time,” she said. She also added that an elephant is sadly killed every 3 days in Kerala.
The animal’s tongue and mouth were so badly injured, she wasn’t able to eat. “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,” Mr Krishnan added.
The pregnant elephant later got to the Velliyar River and stood there with her head partially underwater to ease her pain. The forest officer said that two captive elephants were brought to bring her out of the river, but she just wouldn’t move as she was in so much pain. Eventually, the elephant died while still standing in the water. Forest officials took her back to the forest in a truck and cremated her there. So far, it isn’t clear where exactly the animal got hurt.
Local authorities have registered the horrific case and initiated a probe into the killing of the 15-year-old elephant. Two organizations announced monetary rewards to anyone who can provide information about the incident and help them arrest the person who dared to do such a crime. While the investigation is still going, people on social media have been paying tribute to the poor pregnant elephant by sharing artworks they made to honour the mother and her unborn child. These artworks are really heart-touching and will leave you with teary eyes
