Kerala govt orders probe into pregnant elephant death; Centre seeks report

Kochi, June 03: Taking a serious note on the death of a pregnant wild elephant in Keralas Silent Valley Forest, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday sought a complete report and assured stern action will be taken against the culprit.

The elephant fell victim to an act of human cruelty after a pineapple filled with powerful crackers offered allegedly by locals exploded in her mouth when she chomped on it.

When contacted, the Minister told PTI: "We have sought a complete report on the incident. Stern action will be taken against the culprits."

Meanwhile, the Kerala government said a wildlife crime investigation team will probe the brutal killing of a pregnant wild elephant last month in a forest area in Palakkad district even as the Centre took a serious note of it and sought a report from the state.

As the incident triggered an outrage, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said a preliminary investigation has been launched into the death of the elephant in Mannarkad Forest division in Palakkad district and the police directed to take stringent action against those responsible for the act.

A wildlife crime investigation team from Kozhikode has been dispatched to the place of the incident for further investigation, he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

The elephant died at Velliyar River on May 27. The post- mortem revealed that the pachyderm was pregnant. Her jaw was broken and she was unable to eat after she chewed the pineapple and it exploded in her mouth.