Photo Source: New Indian Express 
04 June:
A pregnant elephant killed in Palakkad in Kerala has been nationwide news. Everyone is shocked to see the inhuman act. To this incident, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vojayan said, “The forest department is probing the case and the culprits won’t be spared. The information also came out that the two organizations will reward cash to those who will provide information on the lead.
The incident was about a pregnant elephant who chewed a pineapple which had explosive stuffed in it and as soon as she ate it went off her mouth. She stood in Velliyar River. Though the forest department had sent two kumki elephants to rescue her but it was of no use, she was already no more.
Sunil Kumar, Mannarkkad divisional forest officer said,” we have registered a case for killing the wild elephant but nobody has been arrested. We waiting for the postmortem report to find out the exact cause of its death. The firecracker-filled fruit could have been placed to kill crop-raiding wild animals.
Also, Humane Society International- India (an organization working against animal cruelty) offered Rs 50,000 to one who would help find the culprit. Also, wildlife SOS, an NGO will reward Rs 1 lakh to the one who got the culprit in.
Mohan Krishnan, who was deputed to bring the elephant back to the shore said, “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,”
It was also reported that similar cases where a female elephant was found in a serious condition from the fringe areas of the forests in Pathanapuram by forest officials in the month of April. The senior officer said, “The pachyderm was found alienated from the herd of elephants. Its jaw was broken and it was unable to eat.”
The level of cruelty has crossed the line. The culprits should be punished harshly to give the world knowledge what can be done to this evil act.
