On May 27, a pregnant elephant died in Kerala's Palakkad district apparently chomping firecracker-stuffed pineapple.
Initial reports had suggested that people fed the 15-year-old elephant with cracker-filled pineapple and it exploded in her mouth. But it was later confirmed that the elephant herself munched the firecracker-stuffed pineapple, which the local people kept to kill wild boars.
The elephant's death sent shock waves across the country. Concerns have been raised about elephant safety in Kerala. Right-wing politicians, such as BJP leader Maneka Gandhi, falsely stated that the incident had happened in Malappuram district, which, according to her, 'is known for criminal activity against animals'.
In this context, Onmanorama spoke to Forest Department official Mohanan Krishnan, who had first reported the death through his Facebook post, to know the turn of events that led to the elephant's death.
“We found the pregnant elephant in the Velliyar river (near the border of Palakkad and Malappuram districts) on May 26 evening. Her condition looked so bad. She kept her trunk immersed in water to keep the flies that swarmed around her wound away. She looked weak with shrunken stomach," Mohanan told Onmanorama.
Rapid Response Team of the Palakkad Forest Division had brought two 'kumki' elephants – Surendran and Neelakandan – to rescue her. "But our efforts went in vain as she succumbed to her injuries at 4pm on May 27. We stood watching her die in the standing position," he recounted.
He said nobody knew about her pregnancy until the carcass was taken for post-mortem. "The veterinary surgeon who did the autopsy told me that she was pregnant," he said.
The elephant and the foetus were cremated later.
Farmers keep fruits stuffed with crackers to kill crop-destructing wild boars.
Emotional Facebook post
On May 27, Mohanan Krishnan had written an emotional note on Facebook. “She would have walked into the village in search of food. She didn't know how selfish human beings were... She ate the pineapple or some fruit thinking it was something consumable. When it exploded, all she thought about would have been the new life she was about to give birth to,” the post read.
The officer had also posted the picture of the elephant standing in the river.
“Though it ran into the human settlement with pain, it made sure not to hurt a human being or destroy any house,” he wrote.
A wildlife crime investigation team from Kozhikode is probing the incident.
Chief Minister assures stringent action
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday assured stringent action against those who caused the elephant's death.
He said the investigation team has zeroed in on three persons.
"A joint investigation by the police and forest department is underway and they have pinpointed on three persons," he tweeted on Thursday.
