One arrested in connection with death of pregnant elephant in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, June 05: One person has been arrested in connection with the death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala, Kerala's Forest Minister, K Raju said.

A pregnant wild elephant in Kerala's Silent Valley Forest fell victim to an act of human cruelty after a pineapple filled with powerful crackers offered by a man exploded in her mouth when she chomped on it, a senior forest officer said.

"Her jaw was broken and she was unable to eat after she chewed the pineapple and it exploded in her mouth. It is certain that she was offered the pineapple filled with crackers to eliminate her," Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Surendrakumar told PTI.

The incident was reported from the fringe areas of the Silent Valley in Attappadi.

Surendra Kumar said the elephant died at Velliyar River in Malappuram district on May 27.

The post-mortem revealed that the pachyderm was pregnant. "I have directed the forest officials to nab the culprit. We will punish him for 'hunting' the elephant," he said.

The issue of the pachyderm's tragic death came to light after Mohan Krishnan, a forest officer, posted an emotional note on his Facebook page, narrating the death of the elephant in the waters of the Velliyar River.

"When we saw her she was standing in the river, with her head dipped in the water. She had a sixth sense that she was going to die. She took the Jalasamadhi in the river in a standing position," Krishnan, who was deputed to bring the elephant back to the shore, wrote.