Killing of pregnant wild elephant in Kerala triggered mass outrage in India

621

By Aminul Islam Mirja

NEW DELHI, June 4, 2020 (BSS) – The “killing” of a 15-year-old pregnant wild elephant in Kerala triggered nationwide outrage although the state government promised to take stern actions against those responsible for the incident.

“An investigation is underway with focus on three suspects in the incident of killing of the pregnant elephant in Palakkad,” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said today.

The incident took place on May 23 in the Palakkad district of Kerala, near farmland when a villager allegedly offered pineapple to the elephant containing firecrackers that exploded in her mouth.

The injured elephant then walked into the nearby Veliyar River and died standing in the water, according to media reports.

“Her jaw was broken and she was unable to eat after she chewed the pineapple and it exploded. It is certain that she was offered the pineapple filled with crackers to eliminate her,” reports quoted Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Surendrakumar as saying.

The incident came in light when a forest officer gave an emotional status narrating the death of the young pregnant elephant. His status drew outrage on social media against the killing of the young elephant.

“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. This is why I said, she is full of goodness,” forest officer Mohan Krishnan, who was part of the Rapid Response Team to rescue the elephant, wrote on Facebook.

The elephant eventually walked up to the Velliyar River and stood there with her mouth and trunk in water, perhaps for some relief from the unbearable pain.

The forest officer said she must have done this to avoid flies and other insects on her injuries.

People pulled the body of the pregnant wild elephant out of the water after she died on her feet in Malappuram, Kerala, the southern Indian state.

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar expressed grief at the death of the elephant and said that actions would be taken against the culprits. He sought a complete report on the incident.

BJP leader and Wild Life Activist Maneka Gandhi slammed the state government for the incident and demanded stern action against the perpetrators.

Dozens of celebrities including Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, Sradha Kapoor, Randeep Hooda, Akshoy Kumar and John Abraham tweeted expressing their anger at the cruelty against animal.

They demanded punishment of the persons responsible for the cruelty against animal.

Shraddha Kapoor said the killing has left her “heart shattered and broken” and a petition is calling for the perpetrators to be “punished in the strictest way”.