The death of an elephant in Kerala’s Palakkad district has enraged citizens across the country. Preliminary reports suggested that the wild female elephant ate a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers which exploded in her mouth. This rendered her incapable to eat or drink anything.
Experiencing insufferable pain, the pregnant wild elephant stood for a whole day in the Velliyar river area in Palakkad district before collapsing to her death on May 27.
Ever since a forest ranger posted pictures of the elephant and other officials claimed to have narrated her ordeal, the incident has sparked a new debate about animal cruelty in India. While some aspects of the animal’s unfortunate demise have been cleared up by concerned departments of the Kerala administration, other details about what led to the incident are still unclear.
Background
In a statement he issued on Thursday, Kerala Chief Wildlife Warden Surendra Kumar said that the wild elephant was first noticed by locals in Palakkad district on May 23. The animal went back into the forest before returning on May 25, added Kumar.
The state’s top IFS officer, Surendra Kumar also confirmed that the pregnant wild elephant stood for a whole day inside the Velliyar River before collapsing to her death.
Surendra Kumar also said that while the forest department is probing the circumstances of the elephant’s death, it is difficult to believe that someone would have willingly fed the elephant a pineapple. No one would dare to go near a wild elephant in the first place, Kumar said.
Inquiry
Responding to claims and concerns, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took to Twitter on Thursday to say, “An investigation is underway, focusing on three suspects. The police and forest departments will jointly investigate the incident. The district police chief and the district forest officer visited the site today. We will do everything possible to bring the culprits to justice.”
发表回复