Malappuram: In a heartbreaking incident, a pregnant elephant died after she was allegedly fed with cracker-filled pinepapple which later exploded in her mouth.
The incident took place on May 27 in Malappuram, while the elephant was standing in water and forest officials said that it died standing in river Velliyar after it suffered an injury in its lower jaw.
According to forest officials, the elephant may have fallen into the trap set by locals to catch the wild boar.
Wildlife Officer of Silent Valley National Park said, ” First, we observed the elephant on May 23 roaming around in the private area of the forest. When one of our staff members went to saw the elephant, it was observed that the wound in the lower jaw area was exposed. Later, for at least 24 hours the animal was trying to look for water and on May 24 we received information that the animal has come into river Velliyar.”
The elephant was starving due to the injury caused to her tongue and mouth. A little water is only what she consumed before the death.
The tragic death of the elephant came to light when forest officer Mohan Krishnan shared about it on social media. He said that she was standing in the river with her head dipped in water.
“She trusted everyone. When the pineapple she ate exploded, she must have been shocked not thinking about herself, but about the child, she was going to give birth to in 18 to 20 months,” he wrote on Facebook.
