On May 27 in Kerala, India, an elephant ate a pineapple. As the elephant attempted to consume the fruit, it instantly exploded into its mouth. This explosion resulted in breaking the elephant’s jaw and ultimately killing her. Explosives were found placed inside of the pineapple and chiefs believed they were planted on purpose.
The Chief Wildlife Warden, Kerala, IFS officer, Surendra Kumar, stated, “…It is certain that she was offered the pineapple filled with crackers to eliminate her,” Kumar also promised, “We will punish him for ‘hunting’ the elephant,” After further inspection, it appeared that the pineapple was created for wild boars to prevent them from harming farms. So far, one man who created the pineapple explosion was arrested for his crime. Sumanth Bindumadhav from HSI/India says, “We don’t yet know if the firecracker-pineapple was maliciously fed to the elephant, or if it was a tragic accident, but whether the intended victim was a boar or an elephant, tragic incidents like this demonstrate the urgent need for better and humane ways to manage wildlife,”
Mohan Krishnan, the wildlife official who was nearby when the fifteen-year-old elephant died near a river, said in a Facebook post, “She had a sixth sense that she was going to die.” Although the situation is still a little unclear, this tragic incident with the death of an innocent elephant should not go unnoticed.
The already bleak circumstance became even darker when the autopsy showed that the elephant was pregnant at the time of its death. Many are mourning the loss of this blameless elephant from Kerala and hope animal protection and care will increase because of it. The Kerala Forest Department stated in a Twitter post, “Article 51-A (g) of the Indian Constitution says that it shall be (the) duty of every citizen of India to have compassion for living creatures.” This was a reminder of the laws India has in the protection of wildlife.
Many are realizing and pushing that animal cruelty should not go ignored, even during this pandemic. It’s vital we have better provisions so that something as cruel as this never, even accidentally, happens again. Though there are people and places that are doing their best to help this dreary event, countless people are still distraught; not only at the loss of this elephant but the fact that this ever occurred.
Elephants are a major part of the culture in Kerala, India. Ananya Nair, a current reporter for The Voice of Frisco, states, “Elephants are a huge part of the culture there and they’re used for a lot of festivals…” Since elephants are so prevalent in this area, the police say they will continue this case to bring justice to light. We need to attain more information about the things that took place for a better understanding and the cops are hoping to fulfill that desire. At the current time, we are grieving the tragic death of this pregnant elephant and hope for more information to arise.