Who Fed Firecracker to the Pregnant Elephant in Kerala?

Kerala: Pregnant Elephant fed firecracker stuffed pineapples by locals. India is a country known for its beloved animals, the prayers offered to animal gods likewise. The Elephants are equally treated like gods, they are worshiped as the Hindu god, Ganesha.

Pregnant Elephant Fed Firecracker

In recent years, as per the reports, the population of elephants has significantly declined, leaving just about 31,300 of these majestic creatures. Despite the religious significance of animals in Indian society, crimes against elephants, or rather animals still prevail in the nation. 

Such crimes like being skinned alive, body part mutilation, getting hit by trains or now, being fed firecrackers.

The Netizens in India have taken to Twitter to vent their anger over this heinous crime after Forest Officer Mohan Krishnan posted pictures of the pregnant elephant in the area was fed firecracker stuffed pineapples by locals that died standing in the water.

The explosives burst in the elephant’s mouth causing barbaric injuries to the poor soon to be mother, eventually leading to a painful death. After the postmortem, the remains of the elephant were cremated with a proper funeral ceremony. 

The incident occurred near the Silent Valley National Park in Kerala, a state that is often called as “God’s Own Land,” with 90% literacy rate among all other states in India, the twitter called out,

“Literacy rate doesn’t prove humanity,” “With such literacy rate, Kerala has proven it that you can be barbaric with brains.”

Forest Officer Krishnan described the elephant as a clam animal, who grew up in that area, trusted the people around and never hurt a human around that area or other animals.

It was when Mohan went to rescue a 15-year-old elephant, that this tragic news surfaced the internet. Officer Krishnan said,

“Even as the entire mankind stands helpless before a virus like a coronavirus, I have only one thing to say — sorry”

“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 give birth to in 18 to 20 months,”

added Officer Mohan Krishnan.

Was it an Accident?

Sputnik an animal rights activist, part of PETA India, explained that the poor elephant had ventured out of the Silent Valley National Park enclosure. Local residents, who try and keep wild animals away from their locality took it upon themselves to get rid of the animal.

Former Minister and parliamentarian, Maneka Gandhi, a wildlife protection activist, stated that Mallapuram in Kerala is known for its intense criminal wildlife activities,

“No action has ever been taken against a single poacher or wildlife killer, so they keep doing it.” 

Government records show that at least 80 elephants are killed every year across the country amid rising numbers of cases of human-elephant conflicts. The Environment Ministry has claimed that in the last five years over 2,300 people were also killed by wild elephants.

However, one among all the Netizens agonizing on the internet commented,

“The Elephant was not fed by the locals. The pineapple was stuffed with ‘panni-Vedi’ an explosive used to kill wild pigs that destroy the crops. Locals usually keep this pineapple near the fields to protect their crops from wild pigs. Unfortunately, the hungry elephant ate it which lead to her death. No One intentionally killed her. So please stop criticizing the locals in Malappuram, Kerala“

Following a massive outrage on the internet, an FIR has been lodged against unidentified people under relevant sections of the Wild Life Protection Act, reported by the Mannarkkad forest range officer. 

The Kerala Forest Department took it to Twitter to state Article 51-A (g) of the constitution dictates that it is the duty of every citizen to be compassionate to animals.

“We are suspecting that the elephant fell prey to the explosive snare used to fend off wild boars. But there is no evidence now to suggest that it was intentionally fed such an explosive,”

KK Sunil Kumar, Mannarkkad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), told The News Minute. It is also come to light, using snares to trap or kill an animal is a punishable offense under the Wildlife Protection Act.